Luca Sabbatucci appointed Italian ambassador to Switzerland

Luca Sabbatucci is Italy’s new ambassador to Switzerland Keystone-SDA

Italy has appointed a new ambassador to Switzerland. Luca Sabbatucci, currently ambassador to international organisations in Paris, succeeds Gian Lorenzo Cornado, who has retired.

In a statement released today, parliamentarian Simone Billi, representative for Italians abroad and chair of the Committee for Italians Worldwide, welcomed “with joy” the appointment of Sabbatucci, a 63-year-old diplomat with “extensive experience”.

For Billi, who lives in the Zurich region, the Italian foreign ministry has made “the right choice (…) to foster our important relations with our Swiss neighbours”.

Cornado has been Italy’s ambassador to Bern since September 2023. His tenure was marked by the New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana. Just a few hours after the tragedy, he travelled to the Valais resort and held talks with the president of the Valais state council.

His repeated criticism of the handling of the incident strained relations between Switzerland and Italy. On January 24, he was recalled to Rome as Italy expressed disapproval of the investigation into the fire conducted. The ambassador did not return to Bern until April.

In an interview given to Keystone-ATS at the end of June, however, Cornado stated that “that chapter is now closed”.

In six months, the Valais judicial authorities “have completed the work that usually takes a year, the lawyers have told me. I can only thank the Attorney General, her deputy and their team”, he added.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.