Topical politics and historical events: President Burkhalter meets representatives of the Belgian government in Brussels, and attends commemoration of First World War casualties in Ypres
14.11.2014
Today's visit of President of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter to Belgium has two distinct parts. This morning he was received by Philippe, King of the Belgians, and held political talks with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders. The afternoon is dedicated to commemorating the suffering and the victims of the First World War, when President Burkhalter will visit a trench system from that time in Ypres, and take part in a ceremony of remembrance with three classes of Swiss schoolchildren. For President Burkhalter, visiting the former battlefields in West Flanders is symbolic of the ongoing need to do everything possible to secure peace.