The main focus of the discussion with the president of the Slovenian senate, Mitja Bervar, was on the good bilateral relations between Slovenia and Switzerland, issues relating to the development of the European Union and implementation of the anti-mass immigration initiative. Mr Comte explained the current status of the debate in Parliament on implementation of the initiative. With regard to the international context, Mr Bervar and Mr Comte agreed that the annual meeting of the presidents of European senates provides an ideal platform for open dialogue on difficult conflict situations. Slovenia will host the annual meeting of the Association of European Senates in 2017.
Similar topics were discussed with the president of the Italian senate, Pietro Grasso. The migrant crisis and the major role played by Italy were further topics of discussion. Mr Grasso highlighted the problem of the fraught relationship between Ticino and Italian cross-border commuters, the possibility of Italian workers being discriminated against due to the anti-mass immigration initiative, and the potential incompatibility with the free movement of persons. In the discussion that followed, individual topics such as labour law, the risk of wage dumping and the complex political process involved in implementing the anti-mass immigration initiative were discussed in greater detail.
Switzerland encourages dialogue
In a meeting with Valentina Matvienko, the president of Russia’s Federation Council, Mr Comte addressed the difficult situation in the Ukraine and in Syria and the numbers of migrants the latter is creating. He spoke of the Swiss tradition of fostering dialogue between all partners, of peacebuilding and humanitarian aid. Switzerland does this bilaterally, under the auspices of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other organisations.
It is particularly helpful to discuss such issues at parliamentary level, Mr Comte went on to say, as members of parliament can often speak more freely and more candidly than government representatives. Switzerland expects Russia to adopt a constructive approach in the current negotiations to find solutions to the ongoing conflicts. According to Mr Comte, priority must be given to implementing the Minsk Agreement and resolving the conflict in the Donets Basin.
Mr Comte made similar remarks at the Russian Economic and Financial Forum in Switzerland (www.finas.info) and in the presence of Valentina Matvienko. His speech is published here.
Eternal peace with France
The official luncheon with the president of the French senate, Gérard Larcher, took place in a spirit of ‘eternal peace’. Five hundred years ago in Fribourg, on 29 November 1516, Switzerland signed a peace deal with France following the shock of defeat at the Battle of Marignano. The agreement meant that Switzerland looked more towards its large neighbour to the west, and enabled the country to develop first-class diplomacy. And so the discussion between Mr Larcher and Mr Comte focussed on the current good bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as on EU-related issues.