Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade RGOB
The fourth bilateral consultation between Bhutan and Switzerland was held on 28 January 2022 in Bern, Switzerland.
The Bhutanese delegation was led by Ambassador Pema Choden, Foreign Secretary and the Swiss delegation was led by Ambassador Raphael Nägeli, Assistant State Secretary for Asia and the Pacific, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
During the consultations, the two sides exchanged views on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic, recent political developments in Bhutan and Switzerland and reviewed the state of bilateral relations between the two countries including at multilateral fora. Both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation between the two countries especially in the area of trade, investment, technical and higher education and at multilateral fora.
Formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and Switzerland was established on 16 September 1985. However, Bhutan’s relationship with Switzerland dates back to the close personal friendship between His late Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck and the Von Schulthess family in the 1950s.