Message of Swiss Ambassador to Brazil

Bilateral trade was specially boosted after the official visit of Doris Leuthard, Swiss Federal Counselor and Ministry of the Economy, to Brazil. A group of Swiss business representatives was part of the delegation that came to Brazil with the Minister, who visited Sao Paulo, Brasilia, and Bahia. During her visit to the Brazilian capital, the Swiss-Brazilian Mixed Commission on Economic and Trade Relations was created. Some months later, on October 29, Celso Amorim, the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, went to Bern for an official visit, when he met with Counselor Leuthard for the first meeting of the Mixed Commission.

On October 30, the Brazilian President, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva met with the President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey in Zurich. Both presidents, in a joint statement, expressed their countries’ intention to enhance bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, scientific, and technological spheres, aiming at forming a strategic partnership.

The figures show the economic exchange between both countries is expanding vigorously. Swiss exports to Brazil reached 1,867 billion Swiss francs in 2007, an increase of 28% compared to 2006. Swiss imports from Brazil have also increased proportionally, reaching 0,997 billion Swiss francs. Swiss investments in Brazil totaled 10,142 billion Swiss francs in 2006, with Swiss companies employing 92,000 people in the country (Source: General Customs Administration and Swiss Central Bank).

Cooperation between Brazil and Switzerland is expected to keep growing in 2008, with other sectors expanding as well, namely the scientific, legal, cultural, and political sectors.

The Swiss Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Michael Ambühl, has confirmed he will be visiting Brazil in March 2008.

The Bilateral Legal Cooperation Agreement for Penal Matters, signed in May 2004, was approved by the Swiss Parliament in December 2007. The Agreement will come into effect in July 2008, greatly contributing to the countries’ fight against organized crime.

Regarding science and technology, in May 2007, we had the visit of Charles Kleiber, Swiss Education and Research Secretary, who came to Brazil with a delegation of fifteen researchers. They visited a number of educational and research institutions, including Fio Cruz, in Rio de Janeiro; and Unicamp and USP, in Sao Paulo. In Brasilia, Mr. Kleiber met with Sérgio Resende, Minister of Science and Technology, and Fernando Hadad, Minister of Education. This mission allowed the Swiss delegation to have a first contact with the scientific community in Brazil and identify specific areas of common interest for scientific cooperation. Having the same objective in mind, a Brazilian delegation will visit Switzerland in 2008. Our countries are expected to sign a new bilateral agreement setting up a cooperation program.

President Lula has plans to go to Switzerland for an official visit this year, but the date is yet to be defined.

Conclusively, there is a new dynamism to the bilateral relations between Brazil and Switzerland, especially driven by the economic exchange between our countries, and I would like to thank Swiss companies and the Swiss-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce for their very positive efforts towards fostering the bonds that unite Switzerland and Brazil.