“Being neutral doesn't mean being indifferent. Switzerland, while maintaining its position of neutrality, immediately condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. He asked Moscow to stop the military aggression immediately and withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. Let's follow the situation closely ».
Thus the Swiss ambassador to Italy Monika Schmutz Kirgöz who, yesterday in Cagliari, accompanied by the honorary consul Alberto Vespa, and the first secretary of the embassy Julie Meylan, met, during the first official visit outside Rome, the president of the Region Christian Solinas, the prefect Gianfranco Tomao and the mayor Paolo Truzzu. “Every diplomat - he explained - must know the country in which he is located. Starting the cycle of official visits with Sardinia is not a coincidence: it is the third largest region in Italy, it has a special status and many peculiarities ». The ambassador also visited the headquarters of the L'Unione Sarda publishing group, meeting the general manager Lia Serreli and the director of the newspapers Emanuele Dessì.
The war causes a very serious humanitarian emergency. What does Switzerland do?
“We have just decided to increase humanitarian aid to 80 million francs. Furthermore, people forced to leave Ukraine due to the war are receiving a special status, never activated before, which allows them to avoid the ordinary asylum procedure. Already more than three thousand people have received this status in a few days. Now the refugees accepted by Switzerland are 10 thousand. In welcoming the refugees, I understand that Sardinia has also shown admirable solidarity ».
How are bilateral relations developing between Switzerland and Sardinia?
«The economic relationship mainly concerns tourist flows. I spoke to President Solinas on this issue. Considering the latest pre-pandemic indicators, my country has a very important position: third place (10% of the total) among foreign tourists arriving on the island, after Germany and France. We like Sardinia very much for what it can offer. Not only a beautiful sea, but also paths inside nature for trekking and cycling lovers. A very popular "slow" tourism. I see great investment potential in the tourism field. But bilateral trade in goods is also an important axis ».
