Press releases, 13.01.2017

Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), will take part on Sunday in the Paris Ministerial Conference on Peace in the Middle East. Organised by France, the conference will bring together some 70 states and international organisations with the aim of relaunching the peace process and maintaining the prospect of the two-state solution.

The conference is part of France’s initiative to remobilise the international community around the objective of implementing the two-state solution. Switzerland shares this goal. In Paris, it will call on stakeholders to help rebuild prospects and real hope to end this conflict. It is Switzerland’s position that this requires encouraging Palestinian unity and promoting regional cooperation, which Switzerland is willing to actively support, as well as a renouncement by all parties of all incitements to violence. Economic measures to fight unemployment are also a prerequisite to relaunch the peace process.

Switzerland will also welcome the creation in Paris, as part of the French initiative, of a civil society forum composed of stakeholders from Israeli and Palestinian civil society. The forum will aim to stimulate dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian organisations, in particular to strengthen a culture of partnership and reconciliation.

Switzerland is working to promote a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on a negotiated two-state solution. In accordance with Security Council Resolution 2334 of 23 December 2016, Switzerland will not recognise a change to the 1967 borders, including with respect to Jerusalem, unless it is the result of a negotiated agreement between the parties.


Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch


Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Last update 19.07.2023

  • FDFA Communication answers media queries Mondays to Fridays during office hours and operates a weekend emergency on-call service.

Contact

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West
3003 Bern

Phone (for journalists only):
+41 58 460 55 55

Phone (for all other requests):
+41 58 462 31 53

Start of page