Swiss foreign minister praises improved relations with Italy

Ignazio Cassis (right) with Antonio Tajani on Bern on Tuesday. Keystone-SDA

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday with the good relations that Switzerland has developed with Italy.

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He was speaking on the fringes of his meeting with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani in Bern. Tajani emphasised the genuinely friendly ties between the two countries.

For Tajani, these positive relations have made it possible “to erase all the little problems that prevented the two countries from feeling close, not only geographically, but also politically”. The Italian Deputy Prime Minister was the guest of honour at the Swiss Ambassadors’ Conference in Bern.

“Sixteen years ago, when I was in the House of Representatives, I tabled a motion to improve relations with Italy. Today, I am delighted to see that this has happened,” Cassis said. The Ticino native said the cultural factor has not been predominant in this rapprochement, but he points out that before him there was no Italian-speaking sensitivity in the government for 18 years.

Cassis and Tajani illustrated this rapprochement by explaining that they had engaged in a great deal of dialogue on the subject of the Winter Olympics to be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026. “We have had a lot of dialogue with political and economic players in the regions concerned in both countries,” Cassis emphasised.

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Economic partner

The two foreign ministers discussed economic relations between their countries. Italy is Switzerland’s second-largest economic partner in Europe and fourth-largest worldwide. “It is a partner that has grown rapidly, thanks in particular to the pharmaceuticals and watchmaking sectors,” Cassis noted. He also pointed out that the services sector, particularly banking, is also growing.

During the meeting, Tajani presented the guide to doing business in Switzerland (Guida agli affari in Svizzera). It will be available from the Italian embassy in Bern and is intended to encourage the presence of Italian companies in Switzerland. “With this guide, we have established that outside the European Union, Switzerland is a high-potential market”, Tajani explained.

He also announced that a meeting with Swiss entrepreneurs interested in investing in Italy would be organised in Zurich.

Italian language in the spotlight

The two ministers also discussed the forthcoming Italophonie Conference to be held in Rome on November 19. Cassis will be one of the main speakers at this meeting. “When the world is at peace, it’s difficult to understand the significance of this kind of event. It’s when there are wars that we understand their urgency,” he said.

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Cassis spoke of a dream when he spoke of Italophonie and said he was happy to support this initiative. “Switzerland plays a fundamental role in the Francophonie summit, so why shouldn’t it do the same for the Italian-speaking world?”

The aim of this day will be to promote peace and the development of culture, according to Tajani. “The Italian language is an instrument of the country. There are several countries that recognise Italian as an official language. In addition to Switzerland, there are Croatia, Slovenia and San Marino,” he said. Other countries such as Brazil, the United States and Argentina also have strong Italian communities.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

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