Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis on tour in Latin America
Bern, 08.07.2024 - From 10 to 15 July 2024, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will pay an official visit to Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru. The implementation of the Federal Council's Americas Strategy 2022–25 will be at the heart of this trip. With the various meetings also focusing on global geopolitical challenges, there will be opportunities to take stock of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held on the Bürgenstock in mid-June. Mr Cassis will use his time in Costa Rica and Peru to meet with the Swiss community there. He will conclude his trip with a stop in New York to take part in an open debate at the UN Security Council on the preservation of international peace and security.
Mr Cassis will begin his tour of Latin America in Brasilia, where he will meet with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira on 10 July. Bilateral relations, the finalisation of negotiations on the free trade agreement between EFTA and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and cooperation on sustainability in the run-up to COP30, to be held in Brazil in 2025, are all on the agenda. Switzerland's support for the Brazilian presidency of the G20, through its participation in the various working groups, will also be discussed. This meeting follows Mr Vieira's visit to Solothurn on 30 April.
140 years of diplomatic relations with Peru
Mr Cassis will move on to Lima on 11 July for a meeting with his Peruvian counterpart Javier González-Olaechea Franco. Discussions will focus on economic relations, and bilateral cooperation in fighting corruption, combating climate change and working towards the restitution of cultural property. This visit follows up on the exchanges between Mr Cassis and Mr González-Olaechea at the 2024 World Economic Forum and at the Bürgenstock summit last June. Before leaving Peru, Mr Cassis will take part in the inauguration of an exhibition dedicated to the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Peru, as well as in a ceremony organised on the occasion of Swiss National Day, 1 August. The Swiss community living in Lima and the Peruvian authorities will be attending the ceremony.
Costa Rica: economic cooperation and democracy promotion
Last stop in Latin America: Costa Rica. Mr Cassis will hold talks with his counterpart Arnoldo André Tinoco on 15 July in San José on bilateral and trade relations, as well as the two countries' commitment to democracy. He will take part in the festivities organised by the Swiss embassy to mark 1 August, alongside members of the Swiss community and representatives of the local authorities. This is the first visit by a federal councillor to Costa Rica.
This trip marks Mr Cassis' first full-scale visit to Latin America since the Federal Council adopted the Americas Strategy 2022–25 in February 2022.
Taking part in a high-level Security Council debate
On 16 July 2024, Mr Cassis will head to New York to participate in a high-level debate in the UN Security Council on preserving international peace and security.
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