Didier Burkhalter to speak in Paris on behalf of humanitarian action and protection for most vulnerable groups in Middle-East crisis
Bern, 07.09.2015 - Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will travel to Paris on Tuesday to take part in the Conference on victims of ethnic and religious violence in the Middle East. The meeting is being co-chaired by France and Jordan, and will be opened by President François Hollande. The aim is to come up with solutions to improve the situation of groups under threat because of their ethnicity or religion.
The meeting will seek specifically to adopt an action plan for the protection of victims of religious or ethnic violence, promote political solutions to maintain cultural and religious diversity in the region, and signal the end of impunity for people who are guilty of war crimes.
In his speech Mr Burkhalter will highlight Switzerland's desire to be part of a response that includes protecting the most vulnerable groups and putting an end to – and condemning – the atrocities committed in the region, in particular in Iraq and in Syria. He will underscore that Switzerland attaches the greatest priority to humanitarian and political action.
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