Dear fellow citizens, dear Albanian partners and friends,

Every year close to August 1st, we invite you in our festivities at the Swiss Residence. This year Switzerland’s National Day finds us in an unusual situation. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic we cannot meet physically, shake hands and enjoy spending a good time together.

However, we still can celebrate: through our virtual and online tools.
This year taught us a difficult but important lesson: we all stand together in the face of challenges. Whether our common enemy is poverty, earthquakes, or a pandemic, the best way to deal with it is through mutual trust, transparency and cooperation, nationally and internationally.
In my capacity as Switzerland’s Ambassador and as head of cooperation, during the past year I witnessed the hardships caused by the earthquake and the Covid-19 in Albania. I also witnessed the resilience of the Albanian people and authorities in meeting these challenges.  I am positive that Switzerland’s cooperation efforts, aligned with the Albanian government’s plans and with other international support, will contribute to the recovery and that the country – despite these difficulties - will continue its progress and build up effective institutions.

On this year, Switzerland and Albania celebrate a special jubilee: it is the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. This provides us with an opportunity to look back and to the future of the excellent relations between our two countries. Throughout the rest of this year, we will hopefully have the opportunity to enjoy a few special activities marking this 50th anniversary.

Although on the Swiss National Day this year we cannot share with you our traditional raclette, we do offer a few other virtual Swiss experiences through the dedicated website www.missione1agosto.org -

To my fellow Swiss citizens who live and work in Albania: a happy August 1st!  Ich wünsche Ihnen einen schönen Nationalfeiertag! Bonne fête nationale! Buona festa nazionale! Ihnen und Ihren Familien alles Gute.
To all of you, my fellow citizens, our Albanian and international partners and friends: join us in celebrating virtually the Swiss National Day and the strong relations between our two countries!

Gëzuar!

Gesundheit!