Bilateral relations

From 1 to 6 August, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis is travelling to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Switzerland maintains specific and long-standing relations with the three countries. All three are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – an important regional organisation for Switzerland. The region is also home to many Swiss nationals. On the trip, Mr Cassis hopes to gain an insight into how Swiss expatriate communities are faring in times of COVID.

Ambassador Patric Franzen wants to involve the embassies in the EU area even more in his work as head of the Europe Division in the FDFA.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania: the three European countries are celebrating 100 years of bilateral relations with Switzerland and 30 years of renewed ties after the end of the Soviet era. We asked the people working daily to build these relations what this centenary means to them.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on 16 June. In the framework of the U.S.-Russia Summit, two bilateral meetings between representatives of the Swiss government and their counterparts from the USA and Russia took place before and after the event.

From 3 to 8 April 2021, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will visit Iraq, Oman and Lebanon. Switzerland's strategy for the Middle East and North Africa aims to strengthen bilateral relations in the region and thus promote peace, security and prosperity. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs will discuss these objectives with his counterparts in Iraq and Oman. While in Lebanon, he will also be updated on Switzerland's humanitarian work there.

In March, the European Parliament will decide whether or not to approve the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) agreed between the European Union and the United Kingdom on 24 December 2020. The agreement governs relations between the EU and the UK after the latter's departure from the EU (Brexit). It was signed on 30 December 2020 and has been applied provisionally since the beginning of the year.