Ms Markwalder’s trip begins in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, where official talks are planned with her host, Speaker Karu Jayasuriyain, and with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera. Also on the programme are meetings with members of the Sri Lankan-Swiss Parliamentary Friendship Group, with opposition representatives and with members of the Swiss-Sri Lankan Chamber of Commerce.
In Kandy, a city in the mountainous Central Province of Sri Lanka, Ms Markwalder is due to meet the local governor, Niluka Ekanayake.
The diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Sri Lanka started 60 years ago in 1956. During the war (1983-2009) between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government, Switzerland campaigned for a peaceful solution to the conflict. In this period, over 50,000 Tamil refugees sought asylum in Switzerland. Switzerland’s involvement has continued in the aftermath of the war, and now includes efforts to bring reconciliation through political dialogue.
The most recent meeting at parliamentary level took place in October 2014, when the former speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa, visited the then president of the National Council, Ruedi Lustenberger (CVP/LU).
The President of the National Council will be accompanied on her trip by Philippe Schwab, Secretary General of the Federal Assembly.