Switzerland was able to attend Asean foreign ministers’ meeting
Published: Friday, Jul 26th 2024, 19:00
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FDFA State Secretary Alexandre Fasel took part in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Friday. He did so as part of a four-day trip through Southeast Asia, which was intended to contribute to the implementation of the Federal Council's Southeast Asia strategy.
As announced by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on Friday, this strategy provides for a further deepening of Switzerland's relations with this important economic region from the FDFA's point of view.
At the Asean meeting, Fasel met with the Foreign Minister of Laos, Saleumxay Kommasith, among others, for bilateral talks. Laos holds the Asean chairmanship in 2024. Representatives of partner countries were also invited to the meeting.
On Friday morning, Fasel and the Laotian Minister of Public Works and Transport signed a bilateral agreement on scheduled air services. The Federal Council approved the agreement on November 22, 2023. According to the FDFA, it provides the airlines concerned with the necessary operational flexibility for flight connections between the two countries. The agreement will have a positive impact on both economies.
Fasel visited the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Wednesday and Thursday. Bilateral meetings were held there with Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Nguyen Hoang Long.
The first stop on Fasel's trip to Southeast Asia was Singapore on Tuesday, where he held talks on the topics of science and digitalization as well as regional challenges. On Tuesday evening, the FDFA State Secretary inaugurated the new Swiss embassy building in Singapore: "a modern, functional, sustainable building - just like the bilateral relations between the two countries", the FDFA said in its press release.
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