National Day: President says Swiss Abroad needed now ‘more than ever’
“Switzerland needs you [...] now more than ever,” says Ignazio Cassis, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, in his August 1 message to Swiss citizens living abroad.
This content was published on
1 minute
Deutsch
de
Bundespräsident Cassis dankt der Fünften Schweiz
Original
Swiss emigrants and their families “build bridges and forge new paths”, Cassis added in the annual speech to the Swiss Abroad, thanking them for their role as ambassadors of their native country. “The ability to compromise, the power to innovate and our diversity – these are our strengths. Many of you abroad embody these qualities.”
Cassis’s remarks to the more than 800,000 Swiss settled abroad come ahead of the Alpine country’s national day, celebrated on August 1.
The world is going through difficult times, he said, noting that the pandemic had upended many people’s lives.
Cassis, also Swiss foreign minister, evoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “War and tanks have reappeared in Europe,” he said. “We thought those days were over, but we were wrong.” This is why we need to find solutions together, he said, just as solutions are needed for climate change, “which threatens our existence”.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Environment minister outlines Swiss efforts to limit global warming
This content was published on
Switzerland will do its part to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti, who's attending COP29 in Baku.
This content was published on
Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.
Assisted suicide: Sarco inventor defends himself against killing rumours
This content was published on
Sarco inventor Philip Nitschke has defended himself against rumours that one of his colleagues assisted in the suicide of a woman in Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland.
Too much attention paid to queer people, says Swiss survey
This content was published on
Most Swiss are well disposed towards LGBTQ people, according to a study. However, prejudice and intolerance persist in certain sectors of society, particularly towards transgender and intersex people.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Ageing expats cause headache for government
This content was published on
Swiss retirees living abroad have been reminded by the government about self-responsibility, after more and more have been demanding help.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.