With regard to bilateral relations, the visit will focus on economic exchanges, Switzerland's presence in Kosovo and security and migration issues. Other topics on the agenda include stability and prosperity in Europe, particularly in the Western Balkans, Switzerland's European policy, the war against Ukraine and transatlantic relations.
Switzerland will be represented at the official talks by President Keller-Sutter, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Federal Councillor Beat Jans, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (EJPD), and Federal Councillor Martin Pfister, head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).
The second day of the state visit on Thursday, 22 May will focus on the economy, education and innovation. President Keller-Sutter and President Osmani Sadriu will visit a manufacturing business in eastern Switzerland. The programme also includes a visit to a centre at the University of St Gallen dedicated to the development of learning and teaching culture.
Relations developed over timeThe state visit by President Osmani Sadriu – the first by a head of state of Kosovo to Switzerland – underscores the close and multifaceted ties between the two countries, which are shaped in particular by their shared history and numerous civil society contacts. The Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland numbers around 160,000 people.
Workers from the former autonomous Yugoslav province of Kosovo began arriving in Switzerland in the 1960s, followed by tens of thousands of refugees in the wake of the Kosovo War in the late 1990s. Switzerland provided humanitarian aid during the conflict, followed by reconstruction and development programmes in support of the reform process intended to contribute to greater regional and European integration. Since 1999, Switzerland has been participating in the international peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force (KFOR) with Swisscoy, the Swiss Armed Forces' largest peace support operation to date. In 2008, Switzerland was one of the first countries to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.
Further information:
Bilateral relations Switzerland–Kosovo
Address for enquiries:
Federal Department of Finance FDF Communications FDF +41 58 462 60 33 media@gs-efd.admin.ch
