Federal Department of the Interior
Bern, 02.02.2023 – Swiss President Alain Berset will visit Botswana and Mozambique next week. The visit to Botswana aims to intensify relations, while the visit to Mozambique is part of a long-standing cooperation. These two visits will be an opportunity to discuss bilateral issues, the regional situation and global issues, particularly in connection with Switzerland’s mandate on the UN Security Council.
In mid-May, Alain Berset will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York devoted to the protection of the civilian population in armed conflicts. His trip, and in particular his visit to Mozambique, falls within this framework, the objective being to hold an exchange on the subject on the spot with the authorities of different state levels, international organizations and NGOs. Further visits to conflict-affected African and South American countries are planned in the coming months.
On Monday February 6, 2023, Alain Berset and his delegation will be received in Botswana by President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi. Bilateral relations will be at the center of this visit. This is the first visit of a President of the Confederation to this country. The political talks will focus on the areas in which Switzerland and Botswana intend to strengthen their relations. On Tuesday, February 7, the two countries also intend to sign a declaration of intent relating to cooperation in the field of health.
Among other things, it is planned to visit the famous research center Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership (BHP), where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was discovered. The President of the Confederation will also visit the National Assembly and, the next day, he will discuss with Swiss companies active in Botswana.
The headquarters of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is also in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. Alain Berset will meet SADC Secretary General Elias Magosi there to discuss the objectives of the organization as well as Switzerland’s commitment in southern Africa. Relations with regional organizations such as SADC are one of the priorities of the Swiss strategy for sub-Saharan Africa 2021-2024.
Political talks in Maputo
On Wednesday 8 February, the President of the Confederation and his delegation will leave Gaborone to go to Maputo. It is here, in the capital of Mozambique, that the political talks with President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi will take place. Mozambique has been a priority country for Swiss development cooperation since 1979. Switzerland played a central role in the conclusion of the 2019 peace agreement and in managing the consequences of the civil war, which lasted several years. .
Besides bilateral relations, global issues will also be on the agenda of the official talks. These issues are all the more important as Switzerland and Mozambique will sit on the UN Security Council in 2023 and 2024, which will give them the opportunity to advance issues of common interest.
On Thursday February 9, the Swiss delegation, accompanied by President Filipe Nyusi, will travel to the province of Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country. Due to violent unrest in this region since 2017, nearly 1.5 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid. Switzerland encourages access to basic services such as water supply and health care. It also supports the decentralization process and works to promote education and increased incomes. On Thursday, talks with international actors in the region are also on the program of the presidential visit.
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Christian Favre, co-head of communication at the DFI
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Federal Department of the Interior
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