Defence minister Ueli Maurer, on a week-long visit to Asia, has called for closer cooperation in military training and sport with South Korea.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
During talks with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan, in Seoul, Maurer pledged Switzerland’s commitment to its observer mission in the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas.
Maurer said he hoped the situation would soon make the Swiss contingent of five officers with the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission obsolete.
Switzerland has been providing observers for the mission at Panmunjom since 1953.
Maurer, who is also sport minister, met South Korean sport minister Choung Byoung-Gug to discuss possible exchange of know-how for the organisation of winter sport competitions, according to a defence ministry spokesman.
Earlier this month South Korea won the bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Maurer has travelled on to Beijing where he is to meet his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie, on Thursday.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss pursue 2022 Winter Olympics dream
This content was published on
Swiss Olympic, the umbrella association of Swiss sport organisations, believes South Korea’s win on Wednesday will improve Europe’s chances of being the next host. “We are still closely studying the conditions for a successful Swiss candidacy for the 2022 Olympic Games,” the organisation said in a statement. Swiss Olympic says its executive committee will choose…
This content was published on
The decision follows a campaign to ban such transactions by the pacifist group Switzerland without an Army. South Korea will receive assemblies and spare parts for anti-aircraft systems in the amount of SFr1.3 million, according to a statement by the economics ministry on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia has purchased SFr879,000 in machine guns and weapons accessories,…
High-ranking Swiss official pays rare visit to North Korea
This content was published on
Von Däniken spent two days in North Korea as part of a tour of the region which also took him to China and Japan. A foreign ministry official in Bern told swissinfo his discussions centred on diplomatic, humanitarian and economic aid issues. The official said von Däniken repeated that Switzerland was prepared to host further…
This content was published on
swissinfo visits the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea to learn what it’s like to be one of five Swiss army officers keeping watch on one of the world’s political hotspots. “We are entering the Joint Security Area (JSA). From now on, please follow my instructions scrupulously. Shooting can start at any time,”…
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.