“A neutral, open Switzerland: a raison d’être and a reason to assist”
Bern, 18.08.2014 - Lugano, 18.08.2014 - Speech by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr Didier Burkhalter, on the occasion of the Ambassadors Conference 2014 - Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear members of the foreign affairs team,
The world expects much of Switzerland!
And Switzerland expects much of us!
Recent months seem to have speeded things up. Unfortunately however not in a positive way in many parts of the world, including Europe. The number of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs) has thus reached its highest level since the Second World War. A sad indicator of the way things are evolving on our planet.
The past few weeks have been particularly troubled. The sky this summer, often heavy and menacing, has seemed to reflect the international situation, at times stormy and even threatening, but also with occasional sunny spells and traces of blue sky.
As if to remind us that behind the clouds there is always sunshine, if only we take the trouble to look for it. A reminder that peace too is always there, beyond the tensions and the crises, if we make an effort to rise up together to achieve it.
A troubled world: challenges and duties for Switzerland
Switzerland and its foreign policy have been right on top of these changes, in tune with the world and its ups and downs. We have all of us experienced much together.
In the Balkans for example where Switzerland – and the OSCE which we chair this year – is committed to promoting a future of stability, human and economic development, and regional cooperation.
How could we fail to recognise the importance of such a process nearly 20 years after the Dayton Agreement and exactly 100 years after the outbreak of the First World War which left Europe badly mauled, inflamed the hearts of men, posed a threat to our own nation, and which essentially had its origin in 1914 in the “Balkan powder keg” with its great diversity of peoples and cultures?
A century has passed and it is our duty not to lose sight of these tragedies, to ensure they do not happen again. It is for this reason that I have asked a number of classes of our country’s school students to devote their attention to the First World War and the meaning of war and peace in today’s world. At the time of launching this project last December we had no idea that it would be a topic of such moment, that war would come knocking on the door of Europe itself, its icy breath a harbinger of death and suffering.
I shall invite these students, from all parts of Switzerland, to come to Geneva this autumn to see for themselves what this city of peace, whose international role was forged in the wake of the First World War, can do for the world. I shall then meet with the three classes whose work has been most outstanding in Ypres, the martyred city that found itself in the midst of such terrible battles, despite Belgium’s neutrality.
Ypres, where human beings were first confronted with the horrors of chemical warfare.
This spring I also had meetings with young people in the Balkans, from different communities in the region. Our discussions touched on reconciliation, remembrance, and also regional cooperation. All of them were clear about one thing, their desire, indeed their greatest and most immediate need – to find work. To have prospects, to be able to look into, and build, their own future.
Security, stability, human and economic development – these are the keys that would enable the Balkans to assume in the future the role of a catalyst of opportunities rather than as a detonator of crises. In the Balkans as elsewhere people are rediscovering that when the storm passes the sun is still there. That after war one can rebuild peace. These keys are universal.
Switzerland is doing its best to make it happen, there and elsewhere.
It is for this reason indeed that the Federal Council has asked Parliament for a credit of CHF 45 million to promote stability and cohesion in Croatia as a new member of the European Union. A proposal unanimously supported just a few days ago (with one abstention) by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States.
It is in order to promote these keys, and in particular a solution to the dramatic rate of unemployment affecting many regions and preventing them from building a future, that Switzerland is committed to a dual system of vocational education and training.
This autumn Switzerland is organising an international conference on the subject in Winterthur, which is being organised by the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER).
Another region visited, which is equally critical for Europe, is the Caucasus. Here the memory of war is fresh in all minds, notably on the front line of the recent Russo-Georgian conflict. Also between Azerbaijan and Armenia, where tensions are rebuilding, when not already permanent as if frozen in time for entire provinces and their populations. And yet this is a region that has everything going for it – from culture to landscapes, from natural resources to the climate. Eldorado could be recreated here.
The future of the Caucasus, indeed the future of us all, will be better and safer if this region manages to seize its opportunities rather than watching as they pass it by. If time can be transformed into progress rather than standing still. If we can all rise up to find the sun behind the clouds.
Switzerland is committed to making a contribution.
In recent months we have also been taking the pulse of the world and trying to build the future with our neighbours in Paris, Berlin, Rome, Vienna and Bern. We have been able to discuss the bilateral issues that often bring us together but still manage at times to divide us. Together we have tried to build bridges where necessary between our nations, which have so many common interests.
Of course we also at times have our differences.
The ties are so strong and contacts so intensive on a daily basis that it could scarcely be otherwise. After all, it is only because they are so close that problems arise between neighbours!
Three of our countries have a great deal of influence in the world and in the European Union, with which we would like to redefine our relationship. If there are problems to be solved and challenges to be met, we need the will to discuss them and seek together a solution. This can take longer than one would like. But as they say, “where there’s a will there’s a way”, with the help of dialogue.
That is the simple but essential conclusion from the meeting we had a few days ago in Rome with the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi: the desire to resolve outstanding questions in a pragmatic and constructive way. Making it very clear that the relationship between Switzerland and Italy, rather than just one between neighbours, reflects many centuries of close friendship between our two countries, built upon hundreds of thousands of relations between individuals. A long history of friendships that so strongly made itself felt during the state visit in the spring of President Giorgio Napolitano, in Bern and then here in Lugano.
Ladies and Gentlemen
You have made the journey to Ticino. A journey that demonstrates the importance of this canton as a bridge and a place of meeting and exchange between the north and south of Switzerland and of Europe.
Cross-border relations are a distinguishing feature of this southern canton, in which 60,000 Italian cross-border commuters are employed, one quarter of its entire workforce. They make a significant contribution to the economic development of Ticino and of Switzerland.
At the same time this cross-border traffic represents a real challenge to Ticino in terms of both infrastructure and the labour market.
At the Expo Milano 2015 we want to build a bridge to Italy and to the world. The fact that the Swiss Pavilion will be close to the Italian Pavilion symbolises the close partnership and rich cultural, economic and linguistic ties between the two countries.
In its pavilion Switzerland will showcase its know-how and innovative strength for a future on this planet that will be worth living, in the interest of future generations.
On Thursday we will have the opportunity of paying a visit to the Expo Milano and the Swiss project.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I have mentioned a few examples of the visits and contacts of recent months. I omit without mention numerous others, not to downplay their importance, but simply so as not to take up too much of your time.
These many visits to all corners of the globe – including in the last few months to both our southernmost and our northernmost embassies, underscore the universal nature of Switzerland’s international relations.
They also underscore the commitment of our country and its diplomats – of all of you here today – to defending and promoting the interests and values of the Confederation quite independently in this globalised world.
These contacts bring three conclusions to mind:
1. The world is evolving very quickly: I did not find Kiev, which I visited on the eve of my election as President of the Confederation in December 2013, to be the same city when I returned just two months later, and have since visited on several occasions. We live in a world that is unstable and at times fragile, with political, financial and economic crises that can lead to major upheavals.
2. In comparison Switzerland, which to be sure has perhaps become a little less predictable than in the past, remains a privileged island of stability, prosperity and peace.
3. In this context the world expects much of Switzerland and Switzerland can contribute much to the world.
We know how to build bridges between cultures and regions, majorities and minorities, and we know how to make others listen and engage in dialogue, promoting democracy and peace. We have an independent foreign policy and can play a role that differs from countries involved in alliances or large groups of states.
These are our strengths at home, from which we benefit. They are also strengths that we can offer to the world, which badly needs them, particularly in this summer of 2014. In this sense it can be said that through its values, its contribution and its role Switzerland is bigger than its land mass.
Whenever I meet children abroad, be it in the slums of Bogota or Bangkok, in the martyred regions of the Great Lakes of Africa, of a refugee family in Lebanon or in a school for Roma children near Belgrade, and say that I am from Switzerland, their eyes light up in the reflection of such magic words as peace, democracy, hope. Like the sun’s return in a sky at last free of clouds…
The world and its children expect much from our country. And it is you, Ladies and Gentlemen, ambassadors and colleagues of the FDFA and our external network, who must carry this torch of hope that shines out from the heart of Switzerland. A privilege, but also a responsibility.
Last year the Intelligence Unit of The Economist magazine rated our country as the best place in the world to be born. What a privilege! Undoubtedly the best possible diploma of success! And again, what a responsibility!
We must be ready to fight to ensure that Switzerland continues to have a quality of life at least as good in the years ahead.
But that is not enough. We must also commit ourselves to ensuring that the whole world will one day be the best possible place to be born!
Yes Switzerland is bigger than itself. It represents opportunity. It has a responsibility.
Ladies and Gentlemen
What is it that predestines and enables Switzerland to help make the world more peaceful and stable?
It is our unique political system and political culture. Dialogue, a readiness to compromise and power-sharing are the essential components of the Swiss success model.
Swiss foreign policy is a reflection of these achievements. We have a great deal of experience and expertise in mediation, in negotiating solutions and peacebuilding. These internal strengths of Switzerland can also be useful to the world at large.
I would like to see us further develop this unique Swiss ability. This will require perfecting our mediation expertise within the diplomatic corps and training the necessary specialists.
Swiss diplomacy has much to offer at this time of global political turbulence. I do not say this from any sense of mission, but merely as a sober appraisal.
Iraq, Libya, Gaza, Ukraine – in all of these conflicts questions of power-sharing play a major role. In some cases it is a matter of horizontal power-sharing – the involvement of all relevant actors.
In many other cases it is a question of vertical power-sharing – the relationship between the centre and the regions. This is an area in which we have much know-how.
President Obama once summed it up in an interview: “No victor, no vanquished”. May I say, “I could not agree more”.
Switzerland embodies this principle better than most: no victor and no vanquished, but solutions based on compromise involving all relevant groups. It was on the basis of just such a policy of inclusion that we overcame our own divisions in 1848. It is thanks to this policy that we have since created the Swiss success model, bringing prosperity, freedom and peace.
This does not mean that Switzerland should be equally active in all these conflicts. We too must pool our resources. We should however be ready to act whenever there is a demand for what we have to offer and see our contribution as useful.
And we must ensure that what we can offer, our areas of expertise, are internationally known and meet the current requirements.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Swiss foreign policy is independent. As in the case of our well developed peace policy profile so the independent positioning of Switzerland’s foreign policy is in perfect harmony with our political system and our political culture. Switzerland’s autonomy can above all be recognised in non-membership in the EU and neutrality.
As a state that is independent from the power blocs Switzerland has a special responsibility for making its own specific contribution to world peace.
Neutrality does not mean having a free ride, but on the contrary accepting commitment. All the more so as Switzerland is very much integrated with its environment, and the welfare of our citizens and of our economy depend on the stability of both the European and the international environment.
Our independence does not just go hand in hand with a responsible foreign policy. It also offers a foreign policy opportunity.
Of course this independence is also demanding and challenging, as we have seen this year, particularly in our policy on Europe. But let us first of all remain true to Switzerland’s role as a promoter of peace and stability. Here our independence offers ourselves and the world an opportunity.
Switzerland’s OSCE Chairmanship
This year’s OSCE Chairmanship is a perfect example.
The OSCE and Switzerland is a long-standing love affair. It goes back to the organisation’s founding and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). The reason for this is obvious: as an inclusive, consensus-based dialogue platform the OSCE offers Switzerland a tailor-made framework for action.
In a speech I made in Vienna I described Switzerland as a mini-OSCE. The OSCE and Switzerland are both bridge builders and compromise-oriented.
“No victor, no vanquished”.
The political nature of the obligations and the fact that neutrality is enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act as a component of the European security order created the preconditions for Switzerland to play an active role in the OSCE.
The OSCE is not just a platform for dialogue however. It is also an impartial actor for the prevention and resolution of conflicts. With independent Switzerland holding the Chairmanship, this impartiality is further strengthened – a definite advantage in the current year.
Our Chairmanship comes at a difficult time. Since it began the crisis in Ukraine has kept Europe in a state of suspense. The crisis is not just being played out in Ukraine. It is also a crisis between Russia and the West.
The Ukraine crisis is the expression of years of perceptible estrangement between Russia on the one hand and the EU and the USA on the other.
Growing discrepancies over questions of European security and the lack of a common vision between the EU and Russia with regard to the common neighbourhood provide a key backdrop to the current events in Ukraine. Against this background of geopolitical and geo-economic competition and the growing criticism of Russia in the West the decades-long struggle as to Ukraine’s basic foreign policy orientation has intensified.
The Ukraine crisis is bound up with many questions relating to post-Soviet identity. Ukraine’s identity remains fragile due to the competition between pro-Western and pro-Russian forces and a number of historical questions. Russia’s identity too is in a state of flux, between a national and an imperial narrative, with Ukraine’s shift to the West seen as a threat.
Today war rages in Ukraine’s southeast
No other description suits the conflict between the central government in Kiev and the illegal armed separatists and their unlawfully proclaimed “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk. For as long as the territorial integrity of Ukraine is not respected, nationally and internationally and by all sides, the country’s future will remain uncertain.
The Ukraine crisis is a tragedy for the country and its people. The number of victims continues to grow in the conflict areas. The humanitarian emergency is growing. Just two years ago Donetsk was the proud host of several football matches in the UEFA European Championship. Today the metropolis is under siege and the population is called upon to flee. Instead of football fans the cityscape is dominated by armed separatists.
The security of Europe has also worsened in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. Horrible direct proof of this was the death of almost 300 passengers of a Malaysian airliner. In the final analysis however the growing insecurity affects us all.
The annexation of the Crimea, which both the Federal Council as a whole and myself in my capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office have condemned as a violation of international law, calls the European security order into question. Relations between the West and Russia have deteriorated rapidly. East-West tensions are once again part of our strategic environment. The outcome of the present sanctions dynamic remains uncertain.
The Ukraine crisis places the OSCE before a crucial political test. And yet the Organisation has managed to reassert its validity. The OSCE has succeeded in establishing itself as an important component of crisis management in Ukraine, thanks in part to the unremitting efforts of Swiss diplomacy to build bridges and trust.
Broadly speaking, we have done two things:
First and at all levels, we have promoted dialogue, put forward ideas and looked for political solutions. This includes high-level Chairperson-in-office contacts with Kiev, Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Washington and other capitals as well as briefings before the UN Security Council in New York, the EU Council on Foreign Relations in Brussels and of course the Permanent Council in Vienna. Other briefings are planned, for example this coming Monday at the Ambassadors’ Conferences in Berlin and Tallinn. Also worth mentioning are the consultations of my Personal Envoy, Ambassador Tim Guldimann, whom I would like to take this opportunity to thank.
Our diplomatic efforts for the OSCE Chairmanship are always undertaken in a manner complementary to the crisis diplomacy of the Great Powers and in such formats as the Weimar Triangle, the Geneva Group of four (with the EU and the USA) or the Normandy Group of four (with Germany and France). The Geneva Statement of April and the Berlin Statement of the Normandy Group at the beginning of July provided valuable impetus for the OSCE’s efforts in Ukraine. On the other hand at the beginning of May the Chairmanship put forward a road map at a time when international diplomacy had reached a dead end.
At the end of February I put forward the idea of a contact group for Ukraine at the UN Security Council. Since then this idea has taken various forms. The beginning of June saw the formation of a Trilateral Contact Group with high-level representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE Chairmanship.
At the request of President Poroshenko I appointed Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini for this task.
Since then the Trilateral Contact Group has established itself as an important format for dialogue. This concerns both the dialogue between Kiev and Moscow and contacts with the separatists. This Contact Group plays a key role in efforts to bring about a ceasefire. It has also performed well as a facilitator in such matters as the release of prisoners and gaining access to the crash site of the MH17. I would like to thank Ambassador Tagliavini for her tireless efforts in this context.
In a second package of measures in support of the promotion of dialogue the Swiss Chairmanship endeavoured to make the widest possible use of the OSCE toolbox.
To date this has meant above all the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM). This mission, approved in March and extended in July, is symbolic of the fact that consensus and solutions based on compromise remain possible in Ukraine – that even when the dark clouds are many the sun can come shining through.
With its objective reporting and wide network of contacts in Ukraine the SMM has a key role to play in international de-escalation efforts. And like the Trilateral Contact Group it takes on important facilitation duties. Other tasks and an extension of its mission may follow, depending on the course the conflict takes.
In a few weeks the SMM may also be able to rely on drones for its monitoring duties.
At the invitation of Russia the Permanent Council decided in July to send additional OSCE mission observers to two Russian border posts. Seeing this mission as a confidence-building measure we gave it our support. At the same time we made it clear that additional efforts would be required to ensure credible monitoring of the border between Ukraine and Russia.
Switzerland also gave strong support to such independently active OSCE institutions as the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the High Commissioner for National Minorities and the Representative on Freedom of the Media. These are also part of the OSCE toolbox and are playing an important role in Ukraine crisis management.
Ladies and Gentlemen
We are now at a critical juncture in the Ukraine crisis. In the past few weeks the emphasis has been on military action against the separatists. That alone will not bring peace to Ukraine. The war of nerves over the Russian convoy is an indication of just how tense the situation is. Further escalation of the crisis cannot be excluded.
Once again we hold to the principle: No victor, no vanquished
As the OSCE chair we shall continue to seek solutions based on dialogue.
I remain convinced that in the final analysis only political solutions will work. At the international level that means we must speak to and not just about President Putin. Sanctions without the complementary framework of dialogue would involve a major risk of escalation. In such a case we can expect the Russian threshold of pain to be high. Neither would either side like to see a trade war. The way forward therefore calls for dialogue between all stakeholders. This is the time for diplomacy. On the question of sanctions the Federal Council has also decided on a path that we like to think is both independent and credible.
We are also promoting dialogue within Ukraine itself. Such dialogue is important for ensuring that reconciliation will be possible and for the consolidation of a common Ukrainian identity. Transparent and open discussion on reconstruction together with President Poroshenko’s proposals for constitutional reform and decentralisation can help to build the people in eastern Ukraine’s confidence in the state. There appears to be an urgent need for political dialogue on reform and the future prospects of the Ukrainian people, all the more so in view of the enormous challenges facing the nation’s economy.
In May Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger gave his support as the CiO representative to three roundtables organised by the government of Ukraine in the framework of dialogue on national unity. We are prepared to appoint a successor for further dialogue activities in Ukraine, if the Ukrainian government so desires.
With regard to any such contributions to de-escalation measures I feel it is important for us to go deeper into the fundamental issues which the crisis in Ukraine has highlighted. Switzerland’s independent foreign policy gives us a unique opportunity to look at these issues, develop a process and put forward innovative ideas.
How can we make European security once more the common good of all OSCE states? How can we put greater emphasis on OSCE principles? In what areas does Europe’s security architecture need reinforcing so that the focus is once again on the indivisibility of security? How can we include states that are in the neighbourhood of both the EU and Russia in structures that serve as bridges for trading activities rather than obstacles, so as to reinforce security in Europe?
Viable answers to such questions will only be found when the Ukraine crisis is no longer in an acute stage and consensus-based solution seems possible for the question of Crimea. Even so we need to address these issues today – especially since the discussion of such questions can contribute to de-escalation.
I am convinced that much of the answer lies in strengthening the OSCE as an anchor for cooperative security in Europe. This also means that Switzerland must use its Chairmanship to strengthen the OSCE’s mediation competences, and in this context we can make a start in the current year.
First we must make the OSCE participating States aware of the organisation’s mediation potential.
Dear colleagues
Even though Ukraine is the dominant issue in Switzerland’s OSCE Chairmanship year, we have by no means lost sight of other priorities.
I do not intend to go into detail here on the relevant activities.
I shall mention only the following examples:
• The CiO visits to the West Balkans and the South Caucasus already mentioned
• The chairman’s conferences on combating terror and the protection of human rights defenders
• A young people’s action plan successfully prepared by 57 youths in the framework of a model OSCE, to be presented at the ministerial conference in Basel
To what extent we shall be able to show concrete results in Basel as to the implementation of our priorities remains to be seen. In any case I am in a position to make a positive mid-term assessment of our OSCE chairmanship:
The actions we have undertaken at the head of the OSCE have enabled us to make use of our specific foreign policy strengths and to promote our values and our interests. It has created greater international understanding of just how useful our independent foreign policy can be – for the world as well as for Switzerland.
At the same time we have been able to demonstrate to our own citizens what Switzerland is capable of as a neutral and open state.
For our diplomacy the OSCE Chairmanship has been a stroke of luck, despite all the difficulties. The gain in know-how has been great, including for the CiO.
Switzerland will undoubtedly benefit from the contacts and partnerships that we have developed in the course of this year. Particularly worth mentioning in this context is the close cooperation we have enjoyed with Germany with regard to the Ukraine dossier.
Our goal must be to maintain these partnerships even when our chairmanship comes to an end and make use of them in other dossiers, notably in the case of the EU dossier.
Renewing the relationship between Switzerland and the European Union
Ladies and Gentlemen
One of the main challenges our country faces is how to redefine its future policy with regard to the European Union.
The people had their say on 9 February. As of that date the Federal Council has given instructions for the implementation of their decision with calm, lucidity and in a spirit of national cohesion. The Federal Council has begun its work at three complementary levels:
1. An effort to explain the context, scope and significance of the vote in question, aspects which are often not well known beyond our borders and which require a certain amount of education, by means of direct contacts and through diplomatic channels – so with the help of you here today.
2. The development of a concept adopted in June and then a draft law due by the end of the current year on the application of the new constitutional article 121 in our legislation. Work has already begun and is advancing rapidly – this in a country where the minutiae of legislative work usually takes several years.
3. Lastly, the development of a medium-term strategy for Switzerland’s new policy on the EU.
The Federal Council, as the supreme executive body responsible for the foreign policy of our country, is conducting this strategic work as a collegiate body. It will involve the efforts of seven individuals.
The Federal Council is therefore taking time to speak of it frequently, if necessary at length, gathering detailed information on all developments, as was the case last Wednesday at a meeting in the countryside outside the usual framework.
The Federal Council has set itself clear goals: to achieve greater control of migration and to ensure the future of the bilateral path.
This dual strategic objective corresponds to the two-fold will of the people, migration and the bilateral path, as well as to the dual constitutional mandate of assuring both the independence and the prosperity of our country, which the bilateral path makes possible.
This requires the initiation of a process, which will take time. It will be done in stages and will meet obstacles which must be dealt with calmly, with lucidity and in a spirit of cohesion.
As the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons is not compatible with the new constitutional article, the Federal Council, as stipulated by the Constitution, has requested its renegotiation. The relevant mandate for negotiation is therefore being prepared.
The Federal Council has made it clear: for the future of Swiss-EU relations to be able to continue on a balanced basis questions relating to migration will have to be included in discussions with the EU.
The Federal Council wants to unite the country.
It is convinced that it is in the interest of both parties to find an agreement to continue on the bilateral path, renewed and further developed, which would make it possible to remain in step with the developments of the single market whenever Switzerland considers this to be useful. It is also in the interest of both parties to have facilitated access to their respective markets and cooperation in such areas as for example research, training, electricity, taxation and perhaps one day financial services.
Switzerland and the EU both have innovative economies that are closely interconnected. Switzerland is embedded more completely in the greater European market that many EU member states.
Destroying these bridges would mean eliminating tens of thousands of jobs as well as opportunities on either side of the border.
To regulate our relations there are some 120 bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU. In particular these make it possible for Switzerland to participate extensively in the European market with its 500 million consumers, while EU enterprises enjoy facilitated access to the Swiss market. In 2013 Swiss exports to the EU totalled CHF 116 billion with imports amounting to CHF 136 billion.
These statistics underline the importance of this economic relationship as well as Switzerland’s importance to the European economy and employment. To this can be added the 270,000 cross-border workers who come to Switzerland, making a considerable contribution to the economies of neighbouring countries.
Improving our control of migration without eliminating the bridges that create value added and provide employment, that is what is essential if we want Switzerland to remain in 10 or 20 years a place where it is still as good to be born as it is today. And what is true for Switzerland is equally true for the European Union.
The Federal Council will continue its work with calm, lucidity and firmness in a spirit of cohesion – for itself and the country as a whole – in an effort to find solutions at home and with Switzerland’s partners, beginning with our immediate neighbours including Italy, which for this half year holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and with the Latvian presidency which follows and which explains why I shall soon pay a visit to Riga.
Here too much will depend on your efforts, to explain, convince and analyse. And your ability to build bridges, defend the interest and promote the values of Switzerland.
Conclusion
Ladies and Gentlemen
The challenges ahead are many and there are other dossiers which demand our attention: strengthening our strategic partnerships and our commitment to meeting such major global challenges as water, climate change, promoting the rights of women, opposing the death penalty – and the strategy for strengthening Switzerland’s contribution to the world through Geneva for which we are now preparing our dispatch.
We might also mention Switzerland’s actions at the level of humanitarian aid, our peace and human rights policies, our contribution to human security in different parts of the globe, and our efforts to strengthen respect for international humanitarian law through our involvement with the ICRC, which this Friday celebrates its 150th birthday in the context of the First Geneva Convention.
And we could mention the fact that Switzerland ranks among the 20 biggest economies in the world and as one of the most innovative in an economic, financial and scientific context – the focus of your working day(s) here in Lugano.
My evocation of these topics highlights the extent to which Switzerland enjoys a universal presence, actively defending its interests and safeguarding its future and that of its children, promoting our values in a world that is increasingly interdependent, unstable and complex.
This we do with complete sovereignty and independence. Switzerland has its place in the world and a role to play, and we will be able to do so much better by being active and committed.
There is one particular area in which I would like to see the Confederation commit itself more fully: youth, which I have placed at the heart of my presidential programme, for it concerns the future of us all. We must create opportunities and encourage young people to seize them and get involved. I have had many meetings with young people this year. Together we have carried out and initiated projects, and there are more in the pipeline.
In terms of our foreign policy it has been my desire that Switzerland do more for the protection of girls whose sexual health is at risk. I would also like to see Switzerland continue and strengthen its commitments in the field of education, by promoting dual vocational education and training, by means of massive open online courses (MOOCS) being conducted in the framework of the Francophonie. It has also been my desire to launch a Swiss action plan to combat the phenomenon of child soldiers and the involvement of young people in conflicts. This new strategy will be presented next October on a day devoted to human security. Youth must be at the centre of our efforts, for our objective is to prepare the future of our country and our planet.
Ladies and Gentlemen, all of you here today have a key role to play in these efforts.
I would like to thank you on my own behalf as well as in the name of the Federal Council and of Switzerland as a whole. I ask you to continue your good work with determination and enthusiasm. The everyday commitment of each one of you is important and can make all the difference. Always bear in mind the foundation of your commitment, whatever incited you to embrace this marvellous profession, which consists in representing Switzerland, strengthening our future and making that of the world brighter. I ask you, each day that you go to your office, to remember that:
The world expects much of Switzerland!
And Switzerland expects much of us all!
I thank you all and wish you every success at this Conference of Ambassadors 2014.
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