Cassis met his Lao counterpart, Saleumxay Kommasith, and other government ministers during his visit to Vientiane. (Archive picture)
Keystone/Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry
The Swiss foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, has signed an agreement to extend development cooperation with Laos.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/urs
The accord includes closer cooperation on employment, vocational education and training, as well as agriculture and food security, according to a foreign ministry statement on Wednesday.
The deal also aims to improve local governance and humanitarian aid in the southeast Asian country. Both partners have committed to respecting democratic principles and fundamental rights as well as international agreements on climate change and sustainability.
“I am convinced that with this agreement Switzerland can contribute to balanced economic and social progress in Laos,” Cassis is quoted as saying.
Switzerland is the eighth-largest bilateral donor to Laos and opened a cooperation office in the capital, Vientiane, in 2006. The Swiss government’s development agency will launch its new four-year cooperation programme with Laos next year.
Cassis met the country’s deputy prime minister, Sonexay Siphandone, who expressed thanks for Switzerland’s long-standing aid commitment, the foreign ministry said.
Cassis arrived in Laos from neighbouring Thailand and will wrap up his six-day tour of southeast Asia after a visit to Vietnam.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
Luxury heir claims his CHF11 billion Hermès fortune has vanished
Swiss investigate four people linked to Russian oligarch
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is investigating four individuals linked to Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov.
This content was published on
Anne-Sophie Gindroz, the NGO’s country director, was given on Friday 48 hours’ notice by the authorities to leave. According to Helvetas spokesman Matthias Herfeldt, who confirmed reports in the Sunday papers the Sonntagszeitung and the NZZ am Sonntag, she arrived on Sunday in Bangkok, while her husband and children are still in the Laotian capital…
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.