Swiss President Berset to visit refugee camps for Rohingyas in first official visit to Bangladesh

Swiss President Alain Berset is coming to Bangladesh on an official visit to see Rohingya plight and discuss bilateral issues.

The Switzerland embassy in Dhaka said the Feb 4 to Feb 7 visit would be the first official visit by a Swiss president to Bangladesh.

There will be two main focuses – “solidarity with a country that is severely affected by the crisis in neighbouring Myanmar, and the establishment of closer bilateral relations.”

On Tuesday, he will visit the Kutupalong camp in the Cox’s Bazar district.

During the visit, official talks with President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali are planned.

Apart from underscoring the current status of bilateral relations, the two countries will discuss ways to further strengthen economic, development and cultural cooperation during the visit.

In addition, solidarity with Bangladesh in the Rohingya crisis will be a major focus of the talks, as will cooperation at multilateral foray.

Switzerland provides humanitarian aid to refugees from the Rohingya ethnic group who have fled Myanmar.

During his stay in Bangladesh, he will meet with the representatives of Civil Society, Swiss businesses in Bangladesh, and will visit at the Dhaka Art Summit, of which the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is a partner.

Switzerland and Bangladesh enjoy longstanding relations in the area of development cooperation.

The embassy said Bangladesh is a priority country in Swiss development cooperation. The bilateral economic relations are growing. The volume of two-way trade has more than doubled since 2010.