Relations between Switzerland and Albania have improved also in the economic and business area since Switzerland opened its Embassy 25 years ago. However, there is much more potential to be tapped in terms of mutual investments and trade. These were the messages on the second day of events under the frame of 25th anniversary of the Swiss Embassy in Tirana.
“I would like to see more Swiss businesses and investments in this country. The potential exists, but there is still a lot to be done to exploit it. I am pleased that today we are making one step forward with the launch of a Swiss Albanian Chamber of Commerce”, said Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf during the opening speech.
Present at the event was also Raymond Furrer, Head of Economic Cooperation and Development at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), who spoke about innovation. “Innovation is topic of complexity and is essential to competitiveness and to generating work. It is a combination of new technology and adapting to new situations. Important is the mindset. It creates winners and losers, it involves risks, calculated risks. Failures are important because they make the daring ones stronger”.
A panel discussion followed where representatives of the Albanian government, universities and businesses talked about how to improve the environment for businesses and start-ups, how to include innovation, and how to achieve employment growth. Outgoing Minister of Innovation Milena Harito took part in the discussion together with Gianni Nigro, Vice President of SICPA, Lausanne, Daniel Meier, CEO of Aerotain, Zürich, and Linda Shomo, CEO of EasyPay, Tirana.
The launch of the Swiss-Albanian Chamber of Commerce was the highlight of the evening where Xavier Davard, the President of the new chamber representing several Swiss companies, greeted the audience and announced that “the new Swiss-Albanian Chamber of Commerce will be a great promoter of exchanges between businesses of the two countries and it will contribute to sectors that need expertise from Swiss companies. One the first activities for us will be the investment in the vocational ‘Pavarësia’ school in Vlora where the Chamber will provide 3D printers for the students” said Mr. Davard. The Chamber has five Swiss companies as its founding members: Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), SGS, SICPA, PWC, and SIKA.
The celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Swiss Embassy continue Wednesday, 14th of September with a premiere of the Swiss-Albanian film ‘Dealing with the Past’ and a panel discussion on the topic.
