Australia to reopen embassy in Switzerland

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne also went on Twitter to announce the news (file photo) Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Australia will reopen its embassy in the Swiss capital Bern in 2022 after a 30-year break, the two countries announced on Friday.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis shared the news on Twitter, saying that it was a “significant step on the occasion of our countries’ diamond jubilee”, referring to the two countries marking 60 years of diplomatic relations this year. His Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, said that Australia looked forward to opening an embassy in Bern.

Very pleased that #AustraliaExternal link is re-opening its embassy in #BernExternal link A significant step on the occasion of our countries' diamond jubilee Thank you my dear friend @MarisePayneExternal link & @dfatExternal link for your commitment to our dynamic & longstanding partnership https://t.co/GNjiQpoIEHExternal link

— Ignazio Cassis (@ignaziocassis) October 29, 2021External link

The Australian embassy in Bern was closed down in 1992 for cost reasons. Since then, Switzerland has been represented by the embassy in the German capital Berlin. Australia also has a Consulate-General in GenevaExternal link.

The reopening of the Australian embassy shows how serious the relations between Bern and Canberra are, said the Swiss ambassador to AustraliaExternal link, Pedro Zwahlen.

“Switzerland is one of the most important foreign investors in Australia and is also interesting for Australia as a partner,” he told Swiss public television SRFExternal link.

There are currently 250 Swiss companies in Australia, and bilateral trade is worth around CHF5 billion a year ($5.5 billion). Switzerland exports watches, pharmaceuticals and precision technology to Australia, whereas Australia exports gold, medicines, meat and silver to Switzerland.

In normal times, more than 40,000 Swiss tourists travel to Australia a year.

Unusual, but significant

According to SRF’s diplomatic correspondent Fredy Gsteiger, the move to reopen an embassy is an unusual one.

“More frequent than new embassy openings are embassy closures or mergers. Usually, the aim is to save costs. The fact that Australia is now opening a new embassy in Bern shows that relations between Bern and Canberra have become more intensive – and not only economically,” Gsteiger said.

In addition: “Australia wants to network better with other countries in Europe”. It’s also in Switzerland’s interest to have as many countries represented as possible in Bern, as direct diplomatic contact is important, added Gsteiger.