Swiss foreign minister continues tour ‘down under’ to consolidate ties
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday
Keystone / Lukas Coch
Ignazio Cassis met his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, in Canberra on Monday as part of diplomatic efforts to consolidate ties between the two nations.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
The Swiss foreign minister is currently in New Zealand on the last leg of his week-long Asia-Pacific trip.
Mutual understanding between Australia and Switzerland was “good”, said Cassis at a press event on Monday. No new formal agreements were announced.
Switzerland is seeking to strengthen its influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and it is “necessary” to reinforce ties with like-minded states, including Australia, in an “increasingly polarised” world, said Cassis. “We are a country that counts and that assumes its responsibilities by cooperating with the various players,” he added.
The two foreign ministers also discussed the climate crisis. Australia is keen to organise the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), after Switzerland withdrew its bid last year.
The last visit to Australia and New Zealand by a Swiss cabinet minister was ten years ago. Relations have warmed since then, with Canberra opening an embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern, last year.
Australia, the world’s 12th-largest economy, is an important business partner for the Alpine country. Bilateral trade reached CHF3.7 billion ($3.9 billion) in 2021. According to Australian statistics, Switzerland is the 11th-largest investor in Australia. Over 250 Swiss companies in Australia had invested CHF10.1 billion in the country up to the end of 2020.
Switzerland exports watches, pharmaceuticals and precision technology to Australia, whereas Australia exports gold, medicines, meat and silver to Switzerland.
Ignazio Cassis is currently in New Zealand, the last stop on his diplomatic trip, where he is due to meet New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, and his counterpart from Niue, a Pacific island affiliated to Wellington, Mona Ainu’u.
In a speech given on Tuesday to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and New Zealand, Cassis stressed the similarities between the two countries.
“Besides the beautiful nature that we both want to protect, we are like-minded partners in terms of democracy, our stance on multilateralism and a rules-based international order,” he commented.
For the first part of his Asia-Pacific tour, Cassis visited Singapore and Indonesia. Both countries are at the centre of the Federal Council’s new South East Asia Strategy 2023–26, which envisages consolidating and deepening ties with the world’s fastest growing region.
This content was published on
Some aspects of pro-Palestine sit-ins have gone too far, but the right to protest and debate must be upheld, the student association has said.
Swiss LGTBIQ helpline: attacks more than doubled in 2023
This content was published on
Three organisations jointly operating a helpline have called for more awareness, action and funding to address discrimination.
This content was published on
Switzerland's economy grew slightly at the start of 2024, with growth in the service sector contrasting with weak growth in industry.
Swiss employment rate rises in first quarter of 2023
This content was published on
The number of women and foreign nationals in employment increased particularly strongly, the Federal Statistical Office said on Thursday.
Coercion still an issue in Swiss welfare system, report finds
This content was published on
The rights of vulnerable people are still sometimes disregarded by the Swiss welfare system, a national research programme has found.
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.