​Es gilt das gesprochene Wort

Deputy speaker of the Federation Council of Russia,
Federal Councillor,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen

The bicentennial celebrations of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Russia began in Sochi. President Didier Burkhalter, met with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, at the House of Switzerland in the Olympic Village. As for our sports minister Ueli Maurer, he had the honour of enjoying a raclette and a glass of Swiss red wine with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and his sports minister, Vitali Moutko. The meeting took place on Saturday, 15 February, during the ice hockey game between Russia and Switzerland.

Switzerland has had much to celebrate at Sochi, not only thanks to its medalists. The closing ceremony of the Games was designed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, a Swiss artistic director from Ticino. He delivered a moving ode to Russian art, especially its literature. Finzi Pasca also created the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games.

But Russian-Swiss celebrations are only just beginning. On the parliamentary side, I've seen in the program that a chess tournament is lined up this summer in which Russian deputies - including Anatoli Karpov – will play against the Swiss. We look forward to this exciting event!

This jubilee year will culminate in September with the arrival of the president of the Duma in Bern. The president of the National Council and I will have the privilege of receiving Sergey Narychkin at the Parliament Building during our autumn session.

If proof was needed of the friendship between our two federal assemblies, we will take advantage of Mr Narychkin's visit to travel to the Schöllenen Gorge, where, in 1799, Napoleon’s troops fought on Devil’s Bridge against the Russians led by General Suvorov. A monument honouring the victims of this battle was carved into the rock face.

Ladies and Gentlemen
The Russian Senate and our Council of States share the same goal, namely to invigorate federalism. Last October, my predecessor Filippo Lombardi and Yuri Vorobiev, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation between our two chambers.

The memorandum envisages direct contact between the Russian regions and the Swiss cantons. This agreement led a delegation of the Switzerland – Russia Friendship Group from the Federation Council to visit urban waste management plants in Switzerland. The sorting, recycling and incineration of waste to produce heat and electricity is a fine example of applied federalism. The federal government defines legislation governing urban waste management, and the cantons and communes have the task of putting it into practice.

The distribution of powers between the central government and the regions is also a hot topic in both our countries. The consistent application of the principle of subsidiarity in a country the size of Russia is more than an art; it is a science as complex and ever changing as the country itself.

Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to emphasize how grateful Switzerland is for Russia’s continued support since 1814. This powerful ally protected the alliance of Swiss cantons during the Congress of Vienna. In recognizing Switzerland’s neutrality, Russia played a role in inspiring our political system, which has allowed Switzerland to exist and thrive within its current borders.

Russia’s support is particularly significant for Schaffhausen, the border canton that I come from, which is one of Switzerland’s smallest cantons on the banks of the Rhine. Schaffhausen was one of the architects of the Swiss Confederation, and it considers itself to be one of the custodians of Switzerland’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

This is why I appreciate the true value of your invitation to speak at the Russian Financial and Economic Forum in this jubilee year of diplomatic relations between our two countries. I wholeheartedly thank you for inviting me to this forum, which gives a voice to the stakeholders of the economies and financial markets of our two countries.

These meetings provide a good opportunity to extend the reach of diplomatic work undertaken by our parliaments and governments.

Russia, which is like a gigantic bridge between Europe and Asia, and Switzerland, at the heart of the Old Continent, both approach many issues in the same way. As we heard from Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, our positions on international finance and taxation bear the mark of pragmatism. Russian banking legislation was developed in conjunction with our country and our country is a hub for capital flows related to Russian commodities.

But the Russian Federation, the world’s eights richest country, shares more with the Swiss Confederation than the prospect growth in 2014. Our bicentennial relations are based on longstanding respect and mutual curiosity.

From the eighteenth century onwards, Russian writers, artists and scientists came to visit Switzerland, while Swiss architects and artisans travelled to Russia where they helped in the construction of cities and buildings. In the early twentieth century, many Russian artists, students and political dissidents, including Lenin, travelled to Switzerland.

Switzerland opened a consulate in St. Petersburg in 1816, which was upgraded to a legation. In June 2006, the Consulate General of Switzerland in St. Petersburg acknowledged a mutual desire to forge closer ties in the fields of politics, business, science and culture. Moreover, in 2009, President Dimitri Medvedev was the first Russian head of state to pay a state visit to Switzerland.

Our relations are all the more intensive as they are based on reciprocity. Switzerland offers its good offices to Russia, which in turn considers our territory a gateway to the European Union, a country with which it would like to sign a free trade agreement.
With access to European and western markets, this extraordinary opportunity also represents a huge challenge for Swiss companies.

Switzerland is an important trade partner for Russia. The 200 or so Swiss companies and 600 multinationals in Russia that have Swiss participation in their capital create tens of thousands of jobs every year, particularly in the food, pharmaceutical and machine tool industries or in financial services.

The largest investors are Nestlé, ABB, Holcim and Kronotec, while small and medium-sized enterprises have also shown a growing interest in the Russian market. They too wish to participate in modernizing the economy of the giant located to the east of the Old Continent.

After the recent tensions with the European Union, the prospect of business in Russia is a source of encouragement for the Swiss economy. Nevertheless, this interest also depends on the ability to reduce risks and eliminate bureaucratic red tape for companies seeking to gain a foothold in Moscow. 

Russia has made great strides in reassuring small and large investors, by adopting WTO production standards, carrying out reforms and reducing tariffs. It is in the process of reforming land ownership and the judicial system, and is fine-tuning its fiscal legislation in order to eventually apply international accounting principles.

These huge projects have already given a boost to trade between our two countries. I welcome the initiatives to promote trade between our two countries, such as the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce, the Swiss Russian Forum and the Joint Chambers of Commerce Switzerland-Russia/CIS.

I also welcome the bilateral contacts formalized since 2010 at ministerial level, particularly in the fields of energy, civil aviation and customs. These ongoing consultations lead to trade in products with a high added value resulting from extensive research.

Many Russian engineers come to Switzerland for training in the fields of technology transfer and innovation. The 'Swiss made' bonus gives them an advantage in accessing the European market. In return, small Russian businesses help Swiss companies to set up in Russia.

The start-up Scientific Visual is a good illustration of this. In cooperation with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, it developed a solution to reduce the cost of processing synthetic sapphires by identifying defective pieces before the polishing stage. This breakthrough required several years of research, which was funded by the Commission for Technology and Innovation.

Ladies and Gentlemen
Russia is embracing the words of the poet Lermontov: “It is high time for the chariots of destiny to change their horses.” Russia is seeking to diversify its economic structure to be less dependent on commodity exports.

This strategic shift opens up new horizons for Swiss companies, particularly those developing cutting edge technologies. We need to facilitate contacts and exchanges of ideas to promote advanced technologies and innovation. And that is why Switzerland is supporting the ongoing negotiations between EFTA and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (RuBeKa).

Economic relations between Switzerland and Russia have made remarkable headway. Faced with the challenge of globalization, Switzerland and Russia are mutually enhancing their trade rights by opening up to the world while seeking balance, fairness and security.

Switzerland holds the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. And the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will meet in Geneva in October to address security issues from the Atlantic to the Urals, and from Canada to Mongolia.

To ensure that our leadership of the OSCE is successful, our country is banking on its reputation of never taking sides and on its diplomatic skills. The Swiss Confederation will also seize this opportunity to recall that it has evolved outside of the major geostrategic alliances. This was already the case two hundred years ago when Russia recognized the neutrality of our small country.

Thank you for the last 200 years and all the best for the next 200 years. I wish you a fruitful meeting.