50 years of diplomatic relations with Switzerland: President Cassis emphasizes expanding relations

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis today greeted President of Bangladesh Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his congratulatory message, Ignazio Cassis highlighted the longstanding collaboration between the two countries in many fields as well as the continuous broadening and deepening of bilateral relations.

Emphasizing the partnership of the two countries, Cassis highlighted key areas for future collaboration, including Covid-19 recovery, peace and prosperity, climate change and sustainable development.

Over the past five decades, Switzerland has been a reliable economic and development partner of Bangladesh.

Switzerland has invested more than CHF 1.2 billion (USD 1.3 billion) in development assistance, with significant additional contributions channeled through international financial institutions.

Swiss development cooperation focuses on innovative projects for the benefit of the most vulnerable.

Bilateral trade has grown rapidly and today the goods traded amount to more than CHF 1 billion ($1.1 billion) per year.

Most Swiss multinationals are present in the country and provide essential products, technologies and services in various key socio-economic sectors.

“As a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Switzerland aims to further expand its engagement with Bangladesh also in multilateral forums to address global peace and security challenges,” says a statement from the Swiss Embassy in Bangladesh.