On 8 February in Seoul, President Moon Jae-in receives Alain Berset. The two presidents discuss scientific cooperation, South Korea being one of Switzerland’s eight priority countries in this field, and the update of the twelve-year-old EFTA–Korea free trade agreement. On the peninsula, Switzerland welcomes the resumption of dialogue between North and South and hopes it […]
The Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, and Lady Cosgrove are in Switzerland at the end of February. On the afternoon of the 27th, Alain Berset receives them at the Federal Palace. The same day, the vice-regal couple pay tribute to the Australian soldiers buried in the Saint-Martin cemetery in Vevey and meet representatives of […]
The first official visit by a Mozambican head of state since 2009. Alain Berset welcomes Filipe Nyusi with military honours at the Lohn estate. Ignazio Cassis takes part in the talks; on the Mozambican side, the ministers of foreign affairs and of industry. The two foreign ministers sign an international cooperation agreement, which sets the […]
The President of the Swiss Confederation addresses the population for the Day of the Sick on 4 March. The theme of the year: “Taking time”, for the sick and for one’s own health. The address, in French and German, is filmed at the paediatric neurorehabilitation centre in Biel/Bienne, which looks after children with disabilities by […]
At the invitation of Hereditary Prince Alois, Alain Berset is received with honours at Vaduz Castle. He then meets the head of government, Adrian Hasler. More than 100 treaties bind the two states; more than 9,000 Swiss cross-border commuters work in the principality every day. On the agenda: the European policy of both countries, the […]
Alain Berset receives Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan, in Berne for a working visit. The ties go back to the 1950s, to the friendship between the king of the time and a Swiss industrialist. From 1978, the Confederation has been active in Bhutan; in the 1980s and 1990s, Switzerland was among its main donors. […]
At the invitation of the Geneva Diplomatic Club, foraus and the University of Geneva, Alain Berset gives a lecture at Uni Dufour on disinformation and democracy. The debate that follows, hosted by Esther Mamarbachi (RTS, “Infrarouge”), brings together Jean-Marc Ayrault, former French Prime Minister, and the sociologist Sandro Cattacin. His thesis: no law against fake […]
The same evening, Alain Berset opens the 16th FIFDH before some 500 guests from International Geneva and Greater Geneva, alongside Pascal Crittin, Director of RTS. Opening film: “Fortuna” by Germinal Roaux, just presented at the Berlinale. The year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His speech starts from Martin Luther […]
Alain Berset opens the 32nd FIFF before a packed house, with Georges Godel, President of the Council of State, François Nordmann, President of the association, and Artistic Director Thierry Jobin, who places this edition under the sign of courage. Opening film: “Makala” by Emmanuel Gras, a Swiss premiere. The speech plays on numerology: the number […]
Alain Berset receives Iliana Iotova in Berne. She is Vice-President of Bulgaria, which then holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. At the centre of the talks: the Western Balkans, a priority of the Bulgarian presidency. Some 500,000 people from the former Yugoslavia and Albania hold Swiss citizenship. Alain Berset says he […]
The Federal Council meets in corpore in St. Gallen: its thirteenth “extra muros” meeting since 2010. Before the meeting, the President of the Swiss Confederation holds a press conference on the Klosterplatz. He recalls that the government had not come to St. Gallen as a body since Kurt Furgler’s Federal Council outing in 1985, and […]
Switzerland is the guest of honour at the 20th Art Paris Art Fair, at the Grand Palais, from 5 to 8 April. Thirteen Swiss galleries from Berne, Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich and Neuchâtel, and some hundred artists, with Karine Tissot as curator. The President of the Swiss Confederation speaks at the preview on 4 April. He […]
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