Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter visits countries in Africa and Europe
Bern, 03.03.2016 - On Monday 7 March, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter will set off on a tour during which he will visit four countries in three days. In Africa on Monday the head of the FDFA will visit Burkina Faso, a priority country for Swiss development cooperation. On Tuesday he will arrive in Nigeria, the country in Africa with the largest population and economy, where he will open the new Swiss consulate in the economic capital Lagos. On Wednesday Mr Burkhalter will make an official visit to Malta, before travelling to Slovakia. Slovakia and Malta are the next two countries to assume the six-month presidency of the European Union.
On Monday morning Mr Burkhalter will arrive in Burkina Faso, a priority country for Swiss development cooperation. Switzerland has been working in development cooperation with Burkina Faso since 1974. Mr Burkhalter will meet President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, recently elected following a year of transition, and Foreign Minister Mamadou Alpha Barry.
He will then travel to the Nigerian capital, Abuja. On this stage of his journey, which will take place on Tuesday, Mr Burkhalter will meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama. The main topics on the agenda are the restitution of illicit assets, economic relations, security in the region and Switzerland's humanitarian engagement.
With a population of 180 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the 7th most populous in the world. It is also Africa's biggest economy, making up 23% of the continent's GDP. Mr Burkhalter will visit Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, on Tuesday afternoon. He will inaugurate the new Swiss consulate general and meet the governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode. The main task of the representation, which shares its premises with the Danish consulate, will be to promote trade and investment in this region whose dynamic economy presents opportunities for Swiss companies.
On his way home on Wednesday, Mr Burkhalter has scheduled stops in Malta and Slovakia, which will assume the next two terms of the EU's rotating presidency.
In La Vallette, he will visit the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, founded by Switzerland and Malta, where he will give a speech to the students. The Swiss foreign minister will then meet his Maltese counterpart, George W. Vella. Bilateral affairs, relations between Switzerland and the EU, the Maltese presidency of the Council of the European Union, the migration situation in the region and various other international topics are on the discussion agenda. Malta will hold the presidency of the EU in the first half of 2017.
Relations between Switzerland and the EU will also be at the centre of the discussions in Bratislava, where Mr Burkhalter will meet Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák. Switzerland and Slovakia maintain close diplomatic relations, work together within international organisations and have seen a strong increase in trade in recent years. A cornerstone of their bilateral relations is the cooperation programme as part of Switzerland's contribution to the enlarged EU. Slovakia will hold the presidency of the EU in the second half of 2016.
Address for enquiries
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
Publisher
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
