Broadening And Deepening Relations In The 21st Century

Switzerland and Bangladesh have been fostering good relations for decades. For many years, contacts primarily revolved around development cooperation efforts. As important as that field is, our goal must be to move ahead and broaden bilateral relations between our two countries. Attention is increasingly shifting to trade, cultural exchanges and cooperation at international level.

- Alain Berset

I hope that my visit to Bangladesh—the first by a Swiss president—leads to even closer exchanges in these areas, and I am looking forward to the talks with Hon’ble President H E Md Abdul Hamid, Hon’ble Prime Minister H E Sheikh Hasina and other members of her cabinet. Switzerland and Bangladesh are old friends who are renewing their acquaintance. We can draw on the past and recall that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman envisaged the future state of Bangladesh as the “Switzerland of the East.” Or we can stress current similarities, such as the fact that both countries, despite their totally different geographies, are particularly affected by the impact of climate change. That calls for a common commitment.