Press releases, 09.03.2022

The President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, received Hungarian President János Áder in Neuhausen in the canton of Schaffhausen on Wednesday, 9 March for a working visit. The main topic of the exchange was the Russian military attack against Ukraine.

Mr Cassis and Mr Áder discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the serious violation of international law by Russia. Mr Cassis, who is also foreign minister, outlined Switzerland's position vis-à-vis Russia to his counterpart, calling for an immediate de-escalation of the situation, a cessation of all fighting in Ukraine, and the immediate withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian territory. On Wednesday, he paid tribute to the willingness to help that is being strongly felt both in Ukraine's neighbouring countries and in Switzerland. Switzerland will participate in the pan-European show of solidarity and help relieve the burden on neighbouring countries such as Hungary.

With regard to European policy, Mr Cassis reaffirmed that Switzerland wants a continuation of the bilateral approach with the EU. This includes the rapid release of the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states, including Hungary. President Cassis explained the Federal Council's proposals for a package solution and the approach of solving the institutional issues per sector.

Welcoming Hungary’s president in Neuhausen underlines the intention of Switzerland’s president to receive visits of foreign guests in different areas of the country. This makes the diversity of Switzerland visible to the outside world and at the same time makes foreign policy tangible throughout Switzerland.

Historical ties

Hungary and Switzerland have a long tradition of bilateral exchange. This is in particular marked by the events of 1956, when Switzerland took in around 12,000 Hungarian refugees after the failed uprising against communism in Hungary.

Even today, ties between the two countries are close and diverse − around 26,000 Hungarian citizens currently live in Switzerland and around 2,000 Swiss citizens in Hungary. The volume of trade between the two countries amounted to approximately CHF 2.7 billion in 2021.


Further information:

Bilateral relations Switerzland - Hungary


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