Austria’s Federal Chancellor Stocker visits Switzerland for the first time
Keystone-SDA
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has made his first official visit to Switzerland since taking office. The talks in Bern with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis centred on bilateral relations.
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The topics discussed included transport, environmental protection and regional development, the finance ministry said on Thursday.
Both sides recognised the cooperation in flood protection, where a major joint project is being driven forward with the regulation of the Alpine Rhine (Rhesi). The corresponding state treaty has been in force since July 1.
European security was also a key topic of discussion. The delegations discussed the prospects in the Western Balkans as well as the war in Ukraine and plans for the reconstruction of the country, according to a statement.
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Keller-Sutter, Cassis and Stocker also discussed the objectives of Switzerland’s chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the coming year.
Trade policy – including the impact of US customs policy and the importance of open and regulated trade for global prosperity – was also a topic at the meeting.
According to the foreign ministry, Austria is one of Switzerland’s most important trading partners worldwide. Last year, Austria was the tenth most important trading partner, with a trade volume of CHF17.2 billion ($21.5 billion). Switzerland is also one of the most important investors in Austria.
According to the APA news agency, Switzerland is Austria’s fifth largest trading partner and the third most important tourism market.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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