The state visit will begin on 5 November with the joint opening by Presidents Amherd and Pavel of a Swiss-Czech business forum at ETH Zurich. This will be followed by a visit to Spiez Laboratory and the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse) in Thun, where they will discuss security issues and cooperation in Europe.
On 6 November, Mr Pavel will be received by the entire Federal Council on Bundesplatz with military honours. This will be followed by official speeches in the lobby of the Federal Parliament and political discussions. The Swiss delegation to the official talks in the Bernerhof building will consist of President Amherd and Federal Councillors Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), Ignazio Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Albert Rösti, head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), and Beat Jans, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP).
Talks are set to focus on relations between Switzerland and the Czech Republic, in particular economic exchanges, security issues, energy and migration. European policy will also be on the agenda, in view of the ongoing negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union. Particular importance will be attached to discussions on joint efforts to promote stability and prosperity, which will address the security situation, Russia's war against Ukraine and transatlantic relations. Other topics on the agenda will include the situation in the Middle East, multilateralism and international cooperation between the two countries.
Vibrant political, business and cultural exchanges
Switzerland and the Czech Republic enjoy excellent relations and vibrant exchanges in politics, business and culture. Contacts between the two populations are close: in the years following Prague Spring in 1968, some 13,000 Czechoslovakian refugees found a new home in Switzerland. There are currently around 11,000 Czechs living in Switzerland and around 1,600 Swiss nationals in the Czech Republic.
Political relations between the two countries have intensified in recent years, in particular through cooperation in the context of Switzerland’s contributions to selected EU member states, and the Czech Republic’s EU Presidency in the second half of 2022. The volume of trade has more than tripled since 2000, reaching around CHF 5.2 billion last year. Switzerland is the seventh largest investor in the Czech Republic in terms of the total volume of direct investment by Swiss companies.
Further information:
Bilateral relations Switzerland – Czech Republic
Address for enquiries:
DDPS Communications, +41 58 464 50 58, kommunikation@gs-vbs.admin.ch
Logistics and organisation:
Linda Shepard, FDFA Communications,
+41 79 544 48 16, kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
