Macron state visit to follow two years of strained French-Swiss relations
Swiss foreign policy and political circles are welcoming news that French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Switzerland later this autumn, writes Sunday newspaper NZZ am Sonntag.
This content was published on
2 minutes
NZZ am Sonntag/jc
The Swiss interior ministry confirmed on Friday that a state visit by Macron is planned for November 15 and 16. The paper quotes ministry spokesman Christian Favre as saying the visit is the result of good contacts that Swiss President Alain Berset has established with Macron. It notes that the visit comes after two years of strained bilateral relations following Switzerland’s decision to buy American F-35 fighter jets rather than the French Rafale.
Berset and Macron have met several times recently, for example at the coronation of King Charles III in London in May and at the Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik. Most recently, the two met at the end of June in Paris at the summit for a new global financial pact.
“For Berset, who is leaving office at the end of the year and whose image has been tarnished, the high-level visit comes just at the right time,” writes the NZZ am Sonntag. “He can conclude his presidential year and his term in office with a foreign policy triumph.”
Positive response
The visit shows that the phase of difficult neighbourly relations is over, Social Democrat Senator Carlo Sommaruga told the paper, and he hopes rediscovered friendship with France will help Switzerland in upcoming negotiations with the European Union.
Swiss People’s Party (right-wing) MP Franz Grüter also welcomes Macron’s visit. “The visit signals the normalisation of relations,” says Grüter, who chairs the parliamentary foreign policy committee in the lower house. “That is positive.”
And MP Hans-Peter Portmann of the centre-right FDP says that such a state visit could help clear up misunderstandings. “Switzerland is currently struggling with a lot of misunderstanding in the international arena, be it in connection with the re-export of Swiss weapons to Ukraine, or in connection with neutrality and relations with Europe,” he told the NZZ am Sonntag.
The last state visit by a French president was eight years ago, when Macron’s predecessor François Hollande visited Switzerland in April 2015.
Federer-backed On boosts forecast after sneaker demand rises
This content was published on
Swiss footwear company On Holding AG posted strong first-quarter revenue, boosted by demand for its running shoes and new line of training apparel.
Michael Schumacher’s watches fetch CHF4 million at Swiss auction
This content was published on
Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around CHF4 million ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
This content was published on
A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
This content was published on
Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.