Bilateral relations and global challenges at the heart of Ignazio Cassis's tour of Latin America (eng)

Mr Cassis began his Latin American tour in Brasilia on 10 July. His talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira provided an opportunity to take stock of the peace conference in Ukraine, which was held at the Bürgenstock resort in June 2024. Both sides emphasised the need to sustain efforts to promote lasting peace in Ukraine. The strong Swiss-Brazilian bilateral and trade ties were also discussed. Both Mr Cassis and Mr Vieira expressed their support for finalising negotiations on the free trade agreement between EFTA and Mercosur. Worth almost three billion Swiss francs by 2023, Brazil is Switzerland's biggest export market in Latin America. On the multilateral front, Mr Cassis thanked Mr Vieira for Switzerland's involvement in various G20 working groups under the Brazilian presidency. The organisation of COP30 in Belém in 2025 and cooperation on sustainability were also discussed.
140th anniversary of Swiss-Peruvian diplomatic relations
Mr Cassis continued his journey to Lima, where he met his Peruvian counterpart Javier González-Olaechea Franco on 11 July. Together, they inaugurated an exhibition chronicling 140 years of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Peru, highlighting the stability and richness of their ties. During the talks, both ministers emphasised their desire to strengthen economic cooperation between their countries. Overseen by SECO and the Peruvian authorities, a project aimed at promoting sustainable urban mobility in Peru was signed. The project promotes cooperation and joint initiatives among national institutions, municipalities, civil society groups and service providers. Mr Cassis also pledged Switzerland's support for Peru's accession to the OECD. They also addressed the war in Ukraine and the Peace Summit on Ukraine. Mr González-Olaechea expressed gratitude for Switzerland's efforts to promote peace in Ukraine. The two delegations also addressed their cooperation on judicial, environmental and cultural matters.

In Lima, Mr Cassis took part in the celebrations to mark the 140th anniversary of bilateral relations and Swiss National Day on 1 August, in the presence of members of the Swiss community in Peru: "Since the end of the 18th century and the first waves of immigration of Swiss citizens to Peru, our relations have continued to intensify and diversify. May they grow even stronger in the future", he said, flanked by Mr González-Olaechea.

First visit by a federal councillor to Costa Rica
Mr Cassis's next stop was Costa Rica, where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Arnoldo André Tinoco on 15 July. Discussions focused on bilateral and economic relations. With over CHF 200 million worth of exports to Costa Rica, the country is Switzerland's leading trading partner in Central America. Progress on the conclusion of a double taxation agreement to complement the 2014 free trade agreement between EFTA and the states of Central America (Costa Rica and Panama) was discussed. Switzerland and Costa Rica, which have strong democratic traditions, reaffirmed their commitment to democracy, peace and human rights. This shared commitment is reflected in their ongoing cooperation at the multilateral level. Finally, Mr Cassis met with members of the Swiss community in Costa Rica during the festivities to mark 1 August. His trip to San José marks the first visit by a federal councillor to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica was the final stop on Mr Cassis's Latin American tour. Mr Cassis will next head to New York for a high-level UN Security Council debate on maintaining international peace and security on 16 July.

Weiterführende Informationen

Amerikas Strategie 2022-2025
Bilaterale Beziehungen Schweiz-Brasilien
Bilaterale Beziehungen Schweiz-Peru
Bilaterale Beziehungen Schweiz-Costa Rica
Was macht die Schweiz im UNO-Sicherheitsrat?

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