Dear Members of our digital community, dear Friends of Switzerland,
I am pleased to greet you and introduce myself to you as the new Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan. Since my arrival at the beginning of October, I have started to discover this great, beautiful country, through many meetings of course, but also through gradually longer walks, jogs and bicycle tours. I am already fascinated by many aspects of Japanese culture: the traditional and contemporary aesthetics, the vibrant urban life and of course your amazing cuisine.
My mission officially started recently, when, accompanied by members of the great embassy team, I had the privilege to present my credentials to His Majesty the Emperor. He welcomed me to Japan with much warmth and kindness.
On this occasion, I reaffirmed Japan’s importance as a partner for Switzerland. Your country constitutes a driving force for stability and innovation in an uncertain world. Our diplomatic relations go back more than 150 years. There is much we can continue to learn from each other, while cultivating our many common interests and long-standing friendship.
During my mission to Japan, my team and I will focus on priority areas relevant to both countries.
• I think first of the economy, science and finance, traditional areas of close and intense cooperation.
• I think as well of international security and the multilateral system.
• I think finally of tackling together global challenges such as digitalization, sustainability and global warming.
In all these areas, we will strive to intensify dialogues and contacts at all levels, to add substance benefitting both Switzerland and Japan.
2020 has been a challenging year in so many ways, with the Covid-19 pandemic crisis impacting us at the personal, national and global levels. Let us remain both careful and resilient, while continuing to protect ourselves and each other. Hopefully, 2021 will bring us progressive recovery and resumption of normal people to people contacts beyond borders. Taking part in successful Olympic and Paralympic Games would be wonderful.
Thank you very much for your attention, and stay healthy! I look forward to being in touch through social media, but also to meeting many of you in person.