Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will pay an official visit to Switzerland on 2 and 3 July, at the invitation of the country's Federal Council.
According to a statement issued by Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland on Monday, President Alain Berset will receive President Hassan Rouhani in Zurich on Monday afternoon with military honors. A first meeting will take place in Bern, which will also be attended by Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis and the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The official talks will be held on Tuesday, 3 July, where Switzerland will be represented by President Berset, the Vice President of the Federal Council, Ueli Maurer, and federal councilors Simonetta Sommaruga and Johann N. Schneider-Ammann.
The statement adds that a number of agreements and declarations of intent are expected to be signed during the visit.
Discussions will focus on the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA).
The statement describes the aim of such discussions “to find ways of preserving the progress made as a result of the agreement and of ensuring the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region despite the decision of the USA to withdraw from it.”
The delegations will also address the situation in the Near and Middle East. Further issues include the protecting power mandate which Switzerland exercises on behalf of the USA in Iran (since 1980), and that on behalf of Iran in Saudi Arabia and of Saudi Arabia in Iran, which recently came into effect.
The two sides will also discuss how bilateral relations can be further developed in light of the decision by the USA to re-introduce sanctions against Iran, which had been suspended since 2016, the statement adds.
“Iran is an important partner for Switzerland both politically and economically,” the statement stresses, noting a roadmap adopted by the two sides to intensify bilateral relations at the end of February 2016.
The roadmap, according to the statement, served as an impetus to launch or resume regular dialogue in the fields of economic and financial affairs, human rights and justice, nuclear safety and migration.
“The visit by the Iranian president provides an opportunity to take stock and discuss the next steps in implementing the road map,” the statement concludes.
Following the visit to Switzerland, President Rouhani will travel to Vienna to hold talks with senior Austrian officials on ways to expand bilateral ties.
Photo: Former Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Tehran in 2016
MS