Minister Joly to welcome Swiss counterpart to Ottawa
News release
September 17, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will welcome Ignazio Cassis, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, on September 18.
The ministers will meet to build on the strong and productive relationship between Canada and Switzerland. They will discuss how the 2 countries can further cooperate, as like-minded partners, to advance peace and security in the transatlantic region and how they can cooperate on other regional and global challenges.
During the visit, the ministers will discuss Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and its long-term impacts on peace and security in Europe and the world. They will also discuss their shared commitment to multilateralism, international law and cooperation in addressing geopolitical challenges in Europe and around the world.
Quotes
“Canada and Switzerland share many values and commercial interests, and we have worked closely on a number of international issues over the course of our diplomatic relationship. I’m looking forward to hosting Federal Councillor Cassis in Ottawa. Our countries have a lot in common and we will continue to explore ways to expand our cooperation.”
- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
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Canada and Switzerland share a strong history of collaboration reflected in a broad range of bilateral agreements in the trade, investment and innovation fields. These include agreements related to tax information exchange, double taxation, agriculture, air transport, sharing confiscated assets, mutual recognition of conformity assessments, nuclear co-operation, social security, extradition and mutual assistance in criminal investigations, and film and video relations.
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Canada hosts the fifth-largest Swiss diaspora abroad: more than 155,000 Canadians are of Swiss origin and approximately 40,000 Swiss citizens live in Canada.
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Canadian and Swiss universities have numerous agreements, reinforcing the quality of education, research and innovation in both countries. Every year, several hundred Swiss students and researchers go to Canada on academic exchanges, to collaborate on research projects or to pursue their academic studies in a Canadian institution.
Associated links
Contacts
Isabella Orozco‑Madison
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Isabella.Orozco-Madison@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
media@international.gc.ca
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