CULTURAL EXCHANGES WITH INDIA IMPORTANT: SWISS AMBASSADOR

Swiss ambassador Ralf Heckner speaks to The Sunday Guardian on the nature of the cultural ties between India and Switzerland, among other things.

- MURTAZA ALI KHAN

Swiss Ambassador to India, Dr Ralf Heckner, was a research assistant at the University of Fribourg, where he earned a Ph.D in Contemporary History, before embarking on a career in the Swiss Foreign Service in 1997. From 2003 to 2007, he was First Secretary, then Counselor for Political Affairs at the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington DC. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Heckner was Deputy Head of the United Nations and other International Organizations Division. From 2013 to 2015, he was Head of the Crisis Management Center where he reported directly to the State Secretary. From September 2015 to 2020, he served as the Ambassador to Kenya, with concurrent accreditations to Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda.

In this interview, Dr Ralf Heckner talks about the nature of the cultural ties between India and Switzerland, scholarships on offer for Indian students, MOUs signed between India and Switzerland, among other things.

EXCERPTS:

Q. How do you look at the nature of the cultural ties between India and Switzerland? How have they evolved over the years?

A. Cultural ties between Switzerland and India are deep-rooted and at the same time extremely dynamic. Indian artists and filmmakers know Switzerland well and have had exchanges in my country for decades. It is well-known that popular Hindi cinema has served as a window to Switzerland. In fact, former Indian President Ram Nath Kovind once remarked that “Bollywood has taken Switzerland to every nook and corner of India.” India is extremely important for Switzerland when it comes to cultural exchanges. Swiss artists seek to work and get inspired in India. The fact that the regional office of Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, is in India shows that cultural collaboration and exchange are a key element in our bilateral relations.