The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on October 26 that Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will visit North Korea and South Korea from October 29 to 31.
From October 29th to 30th, Cassis will attend the official reopening ceremony of the Swiss diplomatic office in Pyongyang, and hold political talks with relevant North Korean authorities. Subsequently, he will travel to Seoul to meet with representatives of the South Korean government. The Swiss side stated that this visit is part of Switzerland's long-term efforts to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Since 1953, Switzerland has been participating in the Neutral Nations Supervision Commission stationed along the military demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea, as well as providing diplomatic assistance such as mediation. Switzerland is also one of the few Western countries that have maintained political dialogue with North Korea since 2003.
Since 1997, Switzerland has had an humanitarian cooperation office in Pyongyang. However, the office was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and Swiss personnel withdrew from the country. More than six years later, Switzerland reopened its diplomatic office at the original location on October 19 this year, establishing a permanent institution in North Korea that serves political dialogue purposes for the first time.
Previously, the humanitarian cooperation office did not carry out the functions of a formal diplomatic representative agency. Swiss diplomatic affairs regarding North Korea have always been handled by its embassy in Beijing, China.
Switzerland stated that the new diplomatic office remains under the jurisdiction of the Swiss Embassy in China. The diplomatic and consular relations between Switzerland and North Korea are still handled by the embassy. This office will help strengthen direct contact between Switzerland and relevant North Korean parties, and promote political dialogue between both sides.
To commemorate the opening of the office, Kasis will hold political talks with relevant North Korean authorities. The key topics of discussion will include the resumption of bilateral consultations between the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and global geopolitical issues.
