South African president makes first-ever state visit to Switzerland

Keller-Sutter receives South African President Keystone-SDA

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter received South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Bern on Wednesday. Both acknowledged the two countries’ shared commitment to multilateralism and to resolving conflicts through dialogue.

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History shows that there have also been “dark times” in relations between the two countries, Keller-Sutter said on Wednesday during an appearance in the Federal Palace, alluding to the apartheid era. She therefore expressed her delight at the diverse and lively relations that exist today.

South Africa is the most important destination for Swiss direct investment in Africa today, emphasised Keller-Sutter. She also referred to similarities in political culture. Both countries are multicultural, multilingual countries: “This has taught us the importance of compromise”. With its history, South Africa is in a good position to support other countries in the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts.

Cooperation for conflict resolution

Keller-Sutter announced that Switzerland and South Africa wanted to strengthen their co-operation in the area of mediation. The foreign ministers of both countries would sign a declaration of intent on this later. There will be further agreements in areas such as trade, education and culture. This demonstrates the desire to deepen bilateral relations.

Ramaphosa’s visit is the first state visit by a South African president to Switzerland. Ramaphosa expressly recalled the achievements of Swiss opponents of apartheid. Their solidarity was the seed of today’s friendship between the two countries.

Ramaphosa praised Switzerland’s commitment to peace and international law at international level. He also emphasised the importance of trade relations between his country and Switzerland.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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