The president of the National Council, Andreas Aebi (SVP/BE), will pay an official visit to Iran from 10 to 16 October. He will enquire about Switzerland's protecting power mandate for the USA in Iran, bilateral relations and the political situation in the Middle East. Mr Aebi will also hold talks with the Iranian authorities on human rights issues, agricultural policy and water management in the country.

Inter-parliamentary dialogue

The president of the National Council will speak on 11 October with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as well as with the presidents of the parliamentary committees on national security, foreign policy, agriculture, and water and natural resources. The last official visit between the two countries at parliamentary level was in 2015, when the presidents of the foreign affairs committees of the National Council and the Council of States visited Tehran.

Switzerland's protecting power mandate at the centre of discussions

Mr Aebi will meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran on 10 October and with Agriculture Minister Javad Sadatinejad on 12 October. The talks will focus in part on implementing the road map agreed between Switzerland and Iran in 2016, which is intended to broaden and structure bilateral relations, especially in the field of agriculture. Mr Aebi will also discuss with Iran's foreign affairs minister Switzerland's protecting power mandate in Iran, which aims to maintain a channel of communication between Iran and the USA. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and its consequences in terms of migration and security for Iran will also be discussed on this occasion.

Switzerland has been representing the interests of the United States in Iran since 1980. It was given a protecting power mandate to represent Iran in Saudi Arabia and vice versa in 2017, and has also been representing Iran in Canada since 2019. Mr Aebi will also visit the Foreign Interests Section of the Swiss embassy in Tehran during his trip.

In his various official meetings, the president of the National Council intends to discuss the issue of human rights and the death penalty, which is still in force in Iran, including for minors.

While in Iran, he will take advantage of his stay to hold talks with the Bishop of Isfahan for the Armenian minority and with the governors-general of the Isfahan and Yazd provinces. He will also visit the dairy farms of a Swiss company and handicraft projects supported by Switzerland in the field of intellectual property.