Berne, 13 April 2017 – Ambassador Henri Gétaz, Head of the Directorate for European Affairs, was the luncheon guest at the recent ASEAN Heads of Mission’s Meeting held on 12 April 2017. The lunch provided an opportunity for the ASEAN ambassadors to get a glimpse on the current status of Switzerland-EU relations.
Ambassador Gétaz briefed the ASEAN ambassadors on the state of Switzerland-European Union’s relations, including the ongoing negotiations between the two sides on bilateral issues. He shared Switzerland’s views on the EU immigration policy and explained Switzerland’s policies on immigration, border controls and asylum issues, as well as the country’s ongoing cooperation with its neighbors on these issues.
The lunch also provided an opportunity for the ASEAN ambassadors to ask questions on certain issues concerning Switzerland’s position on issues relevant to their respective countries as well those that are of importance to the ASEAN region such as peace and democratization and human rights as they relate to trade.
Apart from specific bilateral and regional concerns, the ASEAN ambassadors also asked Ambassador Gétaz on Swiss position on Brexit and its likely impact on Switzerland-EU and Switzerland-UK relations, especially on business, Crimea and EU-Russia relations, and EU-ASEAN relations, among others.
Ambassador Gétaz was the second Swiss official invited to join the ASEAN ambassadors accredited to Switzerland for a luncheon discussion. The first was Ambassador Johannes Matyassy, Head of the Asia and Pacific Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Gétaz is a career diplomat and coordinates Switzerland’s ongoing negotiations with the EU on institutional issues. He has been at the helm of the Swiss Foreign Ministry’s Directorate for European Affairs since 2010. Prior to that, he headed the Economic and Financial Division of the Swiss Embassy in Washington D.C., during which he played a key role in settling the tax dispute between UBS and US authorities. Before his stint in WDC, Mr. Gétaz led SECO negotiations with GATS/WTO on international services. END
