Bern seeks more business with Caracas
The government wants to help Swiss industry obtain public contracts from Venezuela, the oil-rich country ruled by President Hugo Chávez.
A spokeswoman at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs confirmed a report in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that Bern would receive a delegation from the South American country at the end of October.
Giuseppina Iampietro said a framework agreement was due to be signed during the visit, aimed at creating a joint commission to promote economic relations between the two countries.
The newspaper reported that such an agreement had been put back on several occasions.
Venezuela is said to have a large need of investment in the transport and energy sectors.
Swiss cement group Holcim agreed last month to sell 85 per cent of its Venezuelan subsidiary as part of nationalisation plans of the country.
Holcim, the market number two, said it would retain a 15 per cent stake after the $552 million (SFr602 million) deal.
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