In the presence of the Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, Ignatius Cassis, the inauguration of the new Swiss House of Culture, Research and Diplomacy in Plaka took place last Friday.
The Swiss Embassy will move into the four-storey building on 2 June and will be co-located with the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (ESAG) and the Flux Laboratory arts and culture centre. The multi-purpose venue has a terrace with a privileged view of the Sacred Rock of Akropolis.
As a “little piece of Switzerland” in Greece, the Swiss house was described by Mr. Cassis, stressing that it reflected a typical Swiss balance of dialogue and diplomacy.
He then spoke about Greek-Swiss relations, arguing that these were not only diplomatic ties but “deeply historical”links that began with a remarkable Greek: Joannis Kapodistrias.
“A national hero for Greece and a very important figure for Switzerland,” he added, explaining the role the first governor of the Greek state had in recognizing Switzerland’s neutrality,a policy that goes back more than 210 years.
“Our relations today are strong and dynamic,” he added, noting that few countries have such a “unbreakable bond” between them.
Commenting on some aspects of bilateral relations, he saidSwitzerland is the fifth largest investor in Greece,which he said is now one of the most popular destinations for his compatriots: last year 800,000 Swiss tourists visited our country.
In addition, in a geopolitical reference, the Swiss Foreign Minister referred to the Eastern Mediterranean,calling it a crossroads of history, culture and geopolitical influences.
“Its stability concerns the whole of Europe and not just the region,” he noted, and in this context he also referred to Greek-Swiss cooperation on immigration. Earlier in the day, Mr. Kassis had separate meetings with the Ministers of National Defence and Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias and Giorgos Gerapetritis respectively.
“Vision”
The Greek government was represented by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for Hellenes Abroad, Giannis Loverdos, who cut the ribbon at the newly built Swiss house together with Mr. Kassis.
After his speech, Mr. Loverdos said the event was not just the inauguration of a building “but a vision“, underlining the historical ties of friendship and close cooperation between Greece and Switzerland.
For his part, outgoing Swiss Ambassador Stefan Esterman, who is expected to leave in the summer, said his service in Greece had “transformed” him as a person. And referring to his compatriots living in the country, as well as to Greeks who maintain relations with Switzerland, he noted:“I constantly felt that I had many ambassadors here.”
A large number of people from the diplomatic and cultural scene of Athens attended the inauguration, including the French Ambassador to Greece, Laurence Oer.
