Staff reporter

The fourth bilateral consultation between Bhutan and Switzerland was held on January 28 in Bern, Switzerland.

Foreign Secretary Pema Choden led the Bhutanese delegation and the Swiss delegation was led by Ambassador Raphael Nägeli, Assistant State Secretary for Asia and the Pacific, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The two sides exchanged views on the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic, recent political developments in Bhutan and Switzerland and reviewed the state of bilateral relations between the two countries including at multilateral fora, a press release from the foreign ministry stated.




“Both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation between the two countries especially in the area of trade, investment, technical and higher education and at multilateral fora,” it stated.

Formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and Switzerland was established on 16 September 1985. However, Bhutan’s relationship with Switzerland dates back to the close personal friendship between His late Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck and the Von Schulthess family in the 1950s.