Ambassador Albert Friggieri presented his letter of
credence to Swiss Confederation President Madame Simonetta Sommaruga on 1st
September 2020 at the Federal Palace in Bern.
During a meeting which took place after the presentation
of credentials, the topics of migration, the repercussions of COVID-19, as well
as Maltese-Swiss bilateral relations were discussed. President Sommaruga
recalled her visit to Malta in 2015 and
her participation in the Valletta Summit on
Migration. Dr. Friggieri spoke about the very serious challenges that Malta has
been facing for many years due to migration.
The Swiss President and the Ambassador agreed that the
migration problem can only be tackled at a European level holistically and not ad
hoc. The Ambassador informed the Swiss President of the latest developments in
Malta regarding the pandemic and about bilateral collaboration in various economic
sectors. The Swiss President was keen to
listen to the Ambassador’s ideas for strengthening the excellent bilateral
relations between the two countries.