Italian President Sergio Mattarella to pay state visit to Switzerland
Bern, 18.11.2022 - Italian President Sergio Mattarella is to pay a state visit to Switzerland at the end of the month. The Swiss government, led by President Ignazio Cassis, will receive President Mattarella with military honours in Bern on Tuesday, 29 November. In addition to bilateral relations between Switzerland and Italy, the official talks at the Bernerhof will focus on the security situation with regard to the war in Ukraine, European policy and the work of the UN Security Council.
On the Swiss side, the official talks will also be attended by Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) and Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS). The first day of the visit will end with a traditional gala dinner in Bern.
On Wednesday, 30 November, President Mattarella and President Cassis will visit the ETH in Zurich, where the focus will be on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Close contacts at all levels
Switzerland and Italy maintain close and good neighbourly relations. President Mattarella's predecessor, Giorgio Napolitano, paid a state visit to Switzerland in 2014, and Simonetta Sommaruga was received in Rome during her year as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2020.
The approximately 320,000 Italian nationals in Switzerland form the largest foreign community in this country. In addition, more than 80,000 cross-border commuters travel to work in Switzerland every day. Italy is Switzerland’s third most important trading partner, with a total trade volume of over CHF 34 billion in 2021. Around 40 per cent of exchanges are concentrated in the regions near the border. The two countries also enjoy very close contacts in education, science and culture, which are buoyed by the common national language.
Address for enquiries
Address for enquiries:
FDFA Communications, kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Tel. for journalists: +41 (0) 58 460 55 55
Logistics and organisation:
Linda Shepard, FDFA Communications
+41 (0)79 544 48 16, kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Links
Publisher
The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
