Swiss foreign minister continues tour ‘down under’ to consolidate ties

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday Keystone / Lukas Coch

Ignazio Cassis met his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, in Canberra on Monday as part of diplomatic efforts to consolidate ties between the two nations.

The Swiss foreign minister is currently in New Zealand on the last leg of his week-long Asia-Pacific trip.

Mutual understanding between Australia and Switzerland was “good”, said Cassis at a press event on Monday. No new formal agreements were announced.

+ Swiss foreign minister kicks off week-long Asia-Pacific trip

Switzerland is seeking to strengthen its influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and it is “necessary” to reinforce ties with like-minded states, including Australia, in an “increasingly polarised” world, said Cassis. “We are a country that counts and that assumes its responsibilities by cooperating with the various players,” he added.

The two foreign ministers also discussed the climate crisis. Australia is keen to organise the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), after Switzerland withdrew its bid last year.

The last visit to Australia and New Zealand by a Swiss cabinet minister was ten years ago. Relations have warmed since then, with Canberra opening an embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern, last year.

+ Re-opening of Australian embassy in Switzerland marks ‘milestone’

Australia, the world’s 12th-largest economy, is an important business partner for the Alpine country. Bilateral trade reached CHF3.7 billion ($3.9 billion) in 2021. According to Australian statistics, Switzerland is the 11th-largest investor in Australia. Over 250 Swiss companies in Australia had invested CHF10.1 billion in the country up to the end of 2020.

Switzerland exports watches, pharmaceuticals and precision technology to Australia, whereas Australia exports gold, medicines, meat and silver to Switzerland.

Ignazio Cassis is currently in New Zealand, the last stop on his diplomatic trip, where he is due to meet New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, and his counterpart from Niue, a Pacific island affiliated to Wellington, Mona Ainu’u.

+ Read more: Switzerland seeks closer ties with Asia-Pacific region

In a speech given on Tuesday to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and New Zealand, Cassis stressed the similarities between the two countries.

“Besides the beautiful nature that we both want to protect, we are like-minded partners in terms of democracy, our stance on multilateralism and a rules-based international order,” he commented.

For the first part of his Asia-Pacific tour, Cassis visited Singapore and Indonesia. Both countries are at the centre of the Federal Council’s new South East Asia Strategy 2023–26, which envisages consolidating and deepening ties with the world’s fastest growing region.