The ASEAN embassies in Berne hosted on 09 June 2016 an informal gathering for the ASEAN-Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Group at the Federal Parliament. The event aimed to renew links between ASEAN and friends of ASEAN in the Swiss Federal Assembly and introduce the region to the other members of the Swiss parliament.
Ms. Christa Markwalder, President of the National Council (Lower House), welcomed the ASEAN Heads of Mission and other officials into the Parliament. She lauded ASEAN for its economic achievements over the past years and expressed hope that the ASEAN-Swiss relations will be further boosted by the presence of the ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group and the increasing exchanges between the two sides.
In his speech, Mr. Thomas Aeschi, Chairman of the ASEAN-Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Group, talked about the dynamism of the ASEAN region, which has attracted Swiss interest to actively engage in the region, as mirrored in its negotiations on free trade agreement, under the ambit of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), with individual ASEAN countries. Mr. Aeschi specifically cited the early conclusion of the FTA between the Philippines and EFTA countries and expressed hope that EFTA’s FTA negotiations with other ASEAN countries will proceed smoothly as the one the group has with the Philippines. He also mentioned that parliamentarians from EFTA countries will be visiting the Philippines and Vietnam in October this year to pursue further cooperation with said countries and promote the benefits accruing from the free trade agreement.
Photo (L-R): Ambassador Joselito A. Jimeno and Mr. Thomas Aeschi
Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Linggawaty Hakim, as coordinator of the ASEAN embassies in Berne, thanked the parliamentarians for coming to the event and welcomed their interest in getting to know more about the region. She added that ASEAN welcomes the growing interest shown by Switzerland as manifested in its application to become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, which the group hopes to be realized soon.
The event was attended by about thirty (30) members of the Swiss parliament. Among those present include Mr. Raphael Comte, Senate President, Mr. Büchel Roland Rino, President of the National Council, and Ambassador Claudio Fischer, Head of the Swiss Parliamentary Services. Some members of the Swiss media covering news about the Federal Parliament were also present. Officials from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs headed by Ambassador Johannes Matyassy, Head of the Asia Pacific Division, also attended the event.
The ASEAN-Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group was officially launched in September 2014 under the Philippine coordinatorship. The Philippines will again take over the coordinatorship of ASEAN embassies in Berne in 2017, which will coincide with the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the 60th anniversary of Philippines-Switzerland diplomatic relations. END
