NATO could open liaison office in Geneva this year
Defence alliance NATO could open a liaison office in Geneva this year, joining the United Nations (UN) and various international organisations in the city, following approval from both the Swiss government and NATO.
That is according to a memo from the General Staff of the Swiss Armed Forces, dated December 22, 2023, published by the weekly newspaper WOZ on Wednesday.
The memo read: “The office is to be located in the GCSP [Geneva Centre for Security Policy]/Maison de la Paix. The Federal Council approved the opening of a NATO liaison office at the request of the FDFA [Federal Department of Foreign Affairs] on November 22, 2023. On December 14, 2023, NATO officially informed Switzerland that the allies had given their final approval.”
The timetable has not yet been drawn up in detail; however, it can be assumed that it could open this year.
The liaison office will not deal with Swiss relations, but will work with the UN and international organisations, as NATO already does at the UN headquarters in New York or in Vienna, where it works with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Multiple sources have told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA in recent months that discussions about the liaison office in Geneva have been ongoing for several years. However, one NATO member state is said to have delayed it for financial reasons. According to those same sources, only one NATO liaison officer will be based in Geneva.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Swiss foreign minister backs Berset at Council of Europe
This content was published on
Cassis described Berset as the "ideal candidate" to help the Council realise its aim of ensuring security and peace in Europe.
Gay conversion therapy banned in Swiss canton of Valais
This content was published on
On Thursday, the canton approved a new Health Act which includes a ban on therapies aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
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 2024
This content was published on
The number of women and foreign nationals in employment increased particularly strongly, the Federal Statistical Office said on Thursday.
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.