Czech foreign minister on official working visit to Switzerland
Bern, 09.06.2015 - Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter received Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek on the latter’s official visit to Switzerland on Tuesday, 9 June 2015. They discussed bilateral relations, Switzerland’s policy on the European Union (EU) and a number of current international issues.
Mr Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), received the Czech minister at the Hôtel DuPeyrou in Neuchâtel. The two ministers emphasised the very good, close relations between Switzerland and the Czech Republic. In his welcome, the head of the FDFA reminded his guest of the official visit he made to Prague in September 2014 while Switzerland was chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and during which he met with Mr Zaorálek and Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.
In his welcome speech, Mr Burkhalter also mentioned the human and historical links between the two countries, alluding to the thousands of citizens of the former Czechoslovakia who were welcomed to Switzerland after 1948 and 1968.
Mr Burkhalter and Mr Zaorálek first met in private and then attended an official working lunch. The talks initially covered bilateral relations. The FDFA head said he was pleased with how economic relations have developed in recent years. In 2014 trade between the two countries totalled CHF 3.7 billion, with the Czech Republic being Switzerland’s second largest economic partner among the central European countries. Ways to expand cooperation in the field of technology were also on the agenda.
Mr Burkhalter and his guest also discussed Switzerland’s contribution to EU enlargement. In this context, Switzerland’s budget for the Czech Republic is CHF 110 million. All in all, 38 projects – in the areas of health, justice, security and public transport – will be implemented by 2017 with a view to reducing economic and social inequalities in the Czech Republic, which joined the EU in May 2004.
On the topic of Switzerland’s EU policy, Mr Burkhalter took the opportunity to explain to Mr Zaorálek the Federal Council’s intention to implement the results of the 9 February 2014 referendum, namely the desire for better immigration controls while maintaining the bilateral approach with the EU. The bilateral approach has repeatedly been approved by the people in recent years. Mr Zaorálek, for his part, gave his assurance that the Czech Republic would work with Switzerland to find a flexible solution on the basis of the principle of the free movement of persons.
Switzerland’s collaboration with the Visegrád Group (V4) was also discussed during the talks. The V4 – comprising the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – is an informal group that cooperates on European policy. The Czech Republic will take over the one-year rotating presidency of the Visegrád Group starting on 1 July 2015. By way of reminder, the “Visegrád Plus Switzerland” summit of heads of government took place in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 9 December 2014. A joint statement was issued on that occasion that confirms the principle of regular consultations between Switzerland and the Visegrád Group.
The two officials also discussed a number of international current issues, including immigration, the situation in the Mediterranean, the Ukraine crisis, European security and multilateral cooperation, specifically within the context of the United Nations.
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