Crown Prince's Visit to Switzerland Focuses on Enhancing Coordination on Shared Issues and Consolidating Cooperation Across Various Fields
The official visit of His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, to Switzerland caps six decades of established Kuwaiti-Swiss diplomatic relations and the strategic partnership between the two friendly nations.
The visit also embodies the depth of historical ties and the exemplary nature of bilateral relations, as high-level talks focus on enhancing coordination on issues of mutual interest and consolidating cooperation across various fields, under the keen interest of the wise leadership in both countries to elevate this partnership in a manner that serves their shared interests.
Earlier, Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin visited Kuwait on February 1, holding official talks with His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The discussions reviewed the bilateral relations uniting the two countries and their friendly peoples, as well as ways to support and develop these ties across various sectors.
The talks also addressed expanding cooperation frameworks between Kuwait and Switzerland to broader horizons that serve their common interests, covering key issues of mutual concern, the latest developments in regional and international arenas, and the exchange of views on these matters.
Following the Swiss President’s visit, the “Swiss-Kuwaiti Business Days 2026” were held in Kuwait on February 3 and 4, with the participation of a delegation of Swiss companies. The event highlighted the depth of economic relations between the two countries and coincided with celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
On September 9, Ambassador Youssef Abdulsumad presented his credentials to the President of the Swiss Confederation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Kuwait to Switzerland in the capital, Bern.
During the meeting with Ambassador Abdulsumad, Parmelin expressed his country’s pride in the close relations between the two friendly nations, reaffirming his commitment to continuing the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields to serve the common interests of both countries and their peoples. In turn, Abdulsumad expressed Kuwait’s pride in the distinguished historical relations with the Swiss Confederation, emphasizing the aspiration to elevate these ties to broader horizons.
The bilateral relations between Kuwait and Switzerland serve as a successful model of diplomatic relations among nations, with the wise leadership in both countries keen on consolidating these ties and coordinating cooperation on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
These relations began on June 16, 1966, when a Swiss consulate was opened in Kuwait City. Later that year, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was appointed Consul General of Kuwait to Switzerland in Geneva, becoming the first to establish a Kuwaiti diplomatic mission in Switzerland.
At that time, the Swiss government appointed its ambassador to Lebanon as accredited ambassador to Kuwait. A year later, a Swiss honorary consulate was opened in Kuwait, and the late Murad Youssef Bahbahani was appointed as the Swiss honorary consul.
Kuwait was the second Gulf country to establish relations with Switzerland. Switzerland opened its embassy in Kuwait in 1975, while Kuwait opened its embassy in Bern in 2006.
On October 25, 2025, the new Swiss Embassy in Kuwait was inaugurated in the Qadisiya area, attended by His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and a number of officials from both countries.
Kuwait recalls Switzerland’s principled and dignified stance in support of Kuwait’s rights during the brutal Iraqi aggression, allowing Kuwaiti students to enroll in Swiss schools through a humanitarian initiative, responding to the suffering of the Kuwaiti people, and playing an active role in addressing the file of Kuwaiti prisoners and missing persons through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In recent years, bilateral relations have witnessed notable development, reflected in reciprocal visits between senior officials of the two countries.
In the field of bilateral cooperation, the two countries signed agreements and memoranda in several areas. In October 1998, the two parties concluded an agreement for the promotion and protection of investments between the two countries. In 1999, they signed an agreement on double taxation, and in November 2019, they signed a protocol amending the double taxation agreement to align with international changes in the field of double taxation avoidance treaties.
In March 2016, the two countries signed an agreement exempting holders of diplomatic and special passports from entry visas. Then, in August of the same year, they signed a memorandum of understanding in the framework of international development cooperation, followed in November 2016 by the signing of an agreement on political and security consultations. On May 25 last year, they signed a memorandum of understanding on development cooperation between the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Kuwait-Swiss economic relations are witnessing continuous development, as the volume of investments by the Kuwaiti sovereign wealth fund in Switzerland has exceeded 15 billion US dollars, reflecting Kuwait’s high confidence in the distinguished investment environment provided by Switzerland through a robust legal framework and special economic facilitations for foreign investors.
It is worth noting that the beginning of commercial relations between the private sectors of the two countries dates back to the early 1930s, when several Swiss commercial agencies entered Kuwait. These ties were further strengthened in 2023 with the launch of the Swiss-Kuwaiti Business Platform.
