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

After Jakarta, Cassis will head to the high-rise economic powerhouse of Singapore. Keystone / Wallace Woon

Ignazio Cassis has landed in Indonesia to begin a diplomatic tour of the Asia-Pacific region. Talks will largely focus on economic ties.

On Tuesday, August 1, despite being in Jakarta, Cassis didn’t miss out on the chance to give a National Day speech in which he hailed the Swiss coexistence of cultures, languages, religions and beliefs – a “wealth” also found in Indonesia, he added.

Indeed, Indonesia’s national motto – “unity in diversity” – would equally well apply to the Alpine nation, Cassis quipped.

The foreign minister will be in Jakarta until Wednesday. A planned meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi will mainly focus on the economic partnership between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – of which Switzerland is a member – and Indonesia, the richest country in Southeast Asia.

In 2021 a trade agreement entered into force between the countries which was only narrowly accepted by Swiss voters after being forced to referendum.

+ Read more: palm oil at the heart of opposition to the trade deal

Cassis said on Tuesday that ties between Bern and Jakarta were a “success” across a wide range of areas, but that there was still potential to deepen the relationship. “Our work to ensure our prosperity is never done – neither at home nor abroad,” he said.

As part of a week-long trip, Cassis will also meet with Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), before continuing to Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.

Switzerland has been working for several years to boost contacts with Southeast Asia; Cassis himself visited the region two years ago. In addition to economic expansion, the area is of major geopolitical interest in the context of an intense power struggle between the US and China.

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

A foreign ministry statement added that “in addition to political dialogue, [Cassis’] trip will also serve to cultivate contacts with local Swiss communities” in the region.

According to 2022 statistics, just over 1,000 Swiss nationals live in Indonesia, in Singapore 2,613. More than 33,000 live in Australia and New Zealand.