President Doris Leuthard pays visit to Portugal
Bern, 16.10.2017 - Following the state visit by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to Switzerland at the end of last year, President Doris Leuthard is now paying a reciprocal visit to Portugal. The focus of official with President Rebelo de Sousa on Thursday, 19 October, will be on bilateral cooperation on education and research, economic and international issues and European policy.
On Thursday, following the reception with military honours and the official talks at the Palácio de Belém, President Leuthard will pay a visit to the Portuguese parliament and attend a reception hosted by the mayor of Lisbon at the city hall.
On Friday, 20 October, the focus will shift to culture and research. President Leuthard will visit an exhibition by the Swiss artist Marie José Burki at the Foundation Calouste Gulbenkian, and the Champalimaud Foundation’s Centre for the Unknown.
Switzerland and Portugal have traditionally enjoyed good political relations, as demonstrated by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s state visit to Switzerland last October. Strong social ties have existed between the two countries for many decades. Today, some 270,000 Portuguese nationals live in Switzerland making the Portuguese community the third largest foreign community in the country. There are currently around 3,700 Swiss nationals living in Portugal.
Historical records of contacts between the two countries date back to the 15th century, while consular relations were established in 1817. In 1910, Switzerland was the first European country to officially recognise the republican government following the fall of the monarchy.
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