Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Bern, October 15, 2024 – Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), met with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Brazil, Maria Laura da Rocha, in Brasilia. The political consultations focused on bilateral relations, economic and security policy issues, respect for human rights and cooperation to protect the environment.
Since 2008, Switzerland and Brazil have discussed current bilateral and multilateral issues every year as part of political consultations. At the 11th edition of this discussion format on October 15, 2024, State Secretary Fasel and Deputy Foreign Minister Da Rocha emphasized the close relations between the two countries, which are implemented through nine regular dialogues in areas such as business, science, research and human rights.
Brazil is Switzerland’s most important economic partner in Latin America. The trade volume between the two countries was around 4.4 billion francs in 2023. This corresponds to around a quarter of Switzerland’s total trade with all Latin American countries. Economic issues were therefore also a focus of State Secretary Fasel’s political consultations in Brasilia. In addition to the intensification of bilateral trade and investments, this particularly affected the negotiations between the European Free Trade Association EFTA, of which Switzerland is a member, and the economic organization in South America, Mercosur. The merger of the four South American countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to form a common market includes around 270 million inhabitants. The negotiations between EFTA and Mercosur were largely completed in 2019 and are now in the final phase. State Secretary Fasel and his interlocutor expressed their hope that the free trade agreement can be signed soon.
The political consultations also included exchanges on various crises and conflicts. This affected, among other things, the regional security situation and in particular the situation in Venezuela as well as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Both interlocutors emphasized the importance of contributing to peace and security through dialogue and mediation. In this context, State Secretary Fasel emphasized that, from Switzerland’s perspective, all initiatives for peace in Ukraine that are based on international law and the United Nations Charter should be considered. State Secretary Fasel also informed his interlocutor about Switzerland’s work in the UN Security Council. Switzerland’s residency ends in 2024.
Another topic of the consultations was measures to intensify cooperation to protect the environment and promote sustainability. Switzerland supports several initiatives to protect the Amazon rainforest and in areas such as decarbonization, sustainable infrastructure and cleantech in Brazil. It coordinates these initiatives in the so-called “Road to Belém”: the “COP 30” climate conference will take place in Belém in the Amazon region in 2025.
State Secretary Fasel also used his stay in Brazil for further discussions with representatives of politics and science in Brasilia and São Paulo. In Brasilia he also took part in an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and Switzerland’s presidency of the UN Security Council in October 2024.
Brazil is a priority country in the Federal Council’s Americas Strategy 2022-2025: Since 2023, there have been seven meetings between Federal Council members and their Brazilian counterparts and two between presidents.
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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
