French President François Hollande to pay a state visit to Switzerland in 2015

Bern, 30.10.2014 - During President Didier Burkhalter’s working visit to Paris on Thursday, the French president, François Hollande, accepted the Federal Council’s invitation to pay a state visit to Switzerland. The visit will take place next year. During their discussions, the two presidents addressed the status of Basel-Mulhouse airport. Mr Burkhalter and Mr Hollande stressed the importance of the airport’s binational character for the region as a whole.

The talks between President Didier Burkhalter and President François Hollande, which took place during a working visit to Paris on Thursday, focussed on developments in the situation in Ukraine, the Ebola crisis, relations between Switzerland and the European Union, as well as bilateral issues such as the future of Basel-Mulhouse airport and progress in discussions on the tax dossier. At the end of the talks, President Hollande announced that he would pay a visit to Switzerland next year.

The meeting is an expression of the priority given to neighbouring countries in Switzerland’s foreign policy; it is essential to maintain constructive relations with these countries, particularly with France, so as to ensure security and prosperity.

The two presidents discussed the security crisis in Europe, demonstrated by the conflict in Ukraine, and stressed the importance of the role played by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), particularly through the deployment of the Special Monitoring Mission. President Burkhalter, who is chairperson-in-office of the OSCE, thanked his counterpart for the support given by France to the OSCE.

The two presidents also discussed the Ebola outbreak which is affecting a number of African countries. President Burkhalter made reference to Switzerland’s contribution to ongoing international efforts and the decision taken on Wednesday to commit an additional CHF 20 million towards fighting the disease, a portion of which will be used to support a French project in Guinea.

On the subject of Switzerland’s relations with the European Union, Mr Burkhalter recalled that the Swiss government wishes to assure the future of the bilateral path, while exercising greater control over immigration. He further reminded his counterpart that Switzerland had submitted a request to the EU to hold discussions on the free movement of persons and reiterated Switzerland’s willingness to discuss the issue in a constructive manner.

The two presidents also called for a swift solution to resolving the status of binational Basel-Muhouse airport. President Burkhalter indicated that it was in the interests of both countries to assure that the airport had a solid status for the future. The airport is a vital piece of infrastructure for the border region spanning France, Switzerland and Germany. In economic terms, the airport, which employs almost 6000 people, is the second largest employer in Alsace. The two presidents expressed their satisfaction at the progress that has been made on the tax dossier.

A review of key international issues also allowed the presidents to note the intensive cooperation between the two countries on difficult issues such as reform of the UN Security Council (power of veto) and the abolition of the death penalty.

The last meeting to take place between the French and Swiss presidents dates back to 2012, when Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf met President Hollande in Paris during her year in office. The last official visit to Switzerland by a French president was that by Jacques Chirac who paid a state visit in 1998. Before that, François Mitterrand paid a state visit to Switzerland in 1983. In contrast, meetings at ministerial level take place on a regular basis. The head of the FDFA has regular exchanges with his counterpart Laurent Fabius, and finance ministers Pierre Moscovici and Michel Sapin have also been to Switzerland this year.


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