Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis held a meeting this Friday (25) at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia to intensify joint actions aimed at boosting bilateral trade, encourage mutual investment, boost the transfer of technology to Brazil and establish collaboration between the two countries in the fight against corruption.
At the end of the meeting, the two ministers made a statement to the press highlighting the main points of the collaboration between the two countries. Minister Ernesto Araújo noted that the meeting continued the dialogues initiated at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland). He specifically cited cooperation in the economic area. Brazil and Switzerland will discuss mechanisms to encourage Swiss investments in Brazil in the second half. “This is an extremely rich and productive relationship,” said Ernesto Araújo.
According to the Brazilian chancellor, in the economic sphere, the partnerships guarantee Brazil greater regulatory improvement in order to attract investments. “Brazil has a lot to work with Switzerland, an extremely competitive country.” He added that in addition to the growth of bilateral investments, Brazil could move forward in terms of “deregulation and economic growth.”
Minister Ernesto Araújo also stressed judicial cooperation between the two countries. According to him, the partnership could provide the “recovery of assets in the fight against corruption.”
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis recalled that he had met with President Bolsonaro at the Davos Forum, where authorities in both countries began negotiations to strengthen the partnership. “For 10 years, Brazil and Switzerland have been developing a strategic partnership in the economic and political spheres. It is essential for us to know the direction of the government of President Jair Bolsonaro and to understand the direction the country will take. Davos, that I accepted the invitation to come to Brazil. ”
Ignazio Cassis, who also serves as Swiss federal counselor, recalled that the relationship with Brazil is bicentennial. “I think it’s important to be here in Brazil to celebrate these 200 years of the relationship. Brazil has a new government that wants to change things and therefore we want to succeed in this endeavor,” he concluded.
In 2018, Brazil-Switzerland trade flow reached about US $ 3 billion. Investments are especially important in economic-trade relations. More than 600 Swiss companies have operations in Brazil.
