Crown Prince Meets President of the Swiss Confederation

A formal meeting between the State of Kuwait and the friendly Swiss Confederation was held in the Swiss capital, Bern, with His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, leading the Kuwaiti delegation, while His Excellency President Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, led the Swiss side.

At the outset of the talks, His Highness the Crown Prince conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait, to His Excellency President Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, along with best wishes for his excellent health and well-being, and for the friendly Swiss Confederation and its people, wishing them continued progress and prosperity.

The talks reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and their friendly peoples, as well as ways to support and develop these relations across all fields, and to expand the frameworks of cooperation between the State of Kuwait and the friendly Swiss Confederation toward broader horizons that serve their mutual interests. The most important issues of common interest and the latest developments on the regional and international scenes were also discussed, with an exchange of views on these matters.

Attending the talks were H.E. Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Sheikh Dr. Meshal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Director General of the Direct Investment Promotion Authority; H.E. Ambassador Mansour Ayad Al-Otaibi; H.E. Ambassador Youssef Ahmed Abdul-Samad, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation; H.E. Ambassador Najib Abdul-Rahman Al-Badr, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs; H.E. Ambassador Nasser Abdullah Al-Hin, Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva; H.E. Major General Ahmed Abdul-Rahman Al-Duaiji, Director of the Crown Prince’s Office; and H.E. Minister Plenipotentiary Abdullah Nasser Al-Obeidi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Minister’s Office.

On the Swiss side, the delegation included Mr. Hans-Peter Burtscher, Member of the National Council and Head of the Swiss-Kuwaiti Parliamentary Friendship Group; H.E. Ambassador Andrea Rieber-Saxer, Representative of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements and Head of the Department of Bilateral Economic Relations at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) under the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Education and Research; H.E. Ambassador Didier Chassot, Deputy Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Head of the Europe and Middle East Department at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Ambassador Gabriel Lüscher, Head of the International Security Department at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Ambassador Monika Schmutz-Kirguz, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Ambassador Simon Pido, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Swiss Confederation; Ms. Miriam Gurtner, Senior Advisor to the President of the Swiss Confederation at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Education and Research; and Mr. Alvis Pasqualin, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Head of the Bilateral Economic Relations Department for Africa and the Middle East at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) under the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Education and Research.

Earlier today, His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, met at the Bellevue Palace in Bern with His Excellency President Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, during His Highness’s official visit.

A formal reception was held for His Highness, beginning with the national anthems of both countries. His Highness the Crown Prince, may God protect him, then greeted senior officials of the friendly Swiss Confederation, followed by His Excellency the President greeting the members of the official delegation accompanying His Highness.

The visit also included a ceremonial event marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the State of Kuwait and the friendly Swiss Confederation, attended by His Highness the Crown Prince, may God protect him, and His Excellency President Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, along with senior officials from both sides.

The ceremony reflected the depth of historical relations and the close ties between the two countries and their friendly peoples over six decades, highlighting the development and growth witnessed in various fields, and reaffirming the shared commitment to further strengthening cooperation and partnership between them, and advancing bilateral relations toward broader horizons that serve their mutual interests and the aspirations of their friendly peoples.