President Schneider-Ammann holds talks in Brasília
Bern, 04.08.2016 - The President of the Swiss Confederation, Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, met three Brazilian government ministers in Brasília for talks on Thursday, 4 August. The meeting with the Brazilian foreign minister José Serra focused on ongoing discussions relating to an EFTA-Mercosul free trade agreement. Tax and WTO issues were also on the agenda. Mr Schneider-Ammann and the Brazilian foreign minister described their meeting as highly constructive. In addition to EFTA-Mercosul and WTO matters, it also planned to intensify bilateral relations.
In the meeting with Marcos Pereira, Minister for Industry, Foreign Trade and Services, the emphasis was on the global economic situation, the Swiss and Brazilian economies, bilateral trade and investment relations, and the prospects for further WTO negotiations.
Discussions with the Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication, Gilberto Kassab, focused on current developments in both countries and bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, research and innovation based on an agreement signed in 2009.
Brazil is a priority country for Switzerland in terms of the strategy for the BRICS states adopted by the Federal Council. With a bilateral trading volume of CHF 3.5 billion francs, Brazil accounts for more than one fifth of Switzerland's total trade with the region and is Switzerland's biggest trading partner in Latin America. Swiss businesses count among Brazil‘s largest investors.
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