Ignazio Cassis in Pyongyang to re-establish a diplomatic presence
Keystone-SDA
Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis has concluded a two-day visit to Pyongyang, the first by a government minister to North Korea since 2003.
The diplomatic visit was aimed at re-establishing political dialogue with Kim Jong Un’s regime.
“I am delighted to mark the official reopening of the Swiss diplomatic mission” in Pyongyang, Cassis said on the social media platform X. According to him, this is a concrete step aimed at strengthening direct dialogue with the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (DPRK).
In Pyongyang, Cassis met with his counterpart Choe Son Hui and Jo Yong Won, Secretary of the Central Committee of the DPRK. Meetings focused on the normalisation of political relations and the resumption of political dialogue. The discussions also covered the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The diplomatic office in the North Korean capital has been operational again since October 19. It reports to the Swiss Embassy in Beijing, which remains responsible for diplomatic and consular relations with North Korea. It had been closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cassis has crossed the border into South Korea for the second leg of his visit to the Korean Peninsula. Switzerland’s involvement in the region dates back more than 70 years, from the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to its mediation efforts.
Also in South Korea, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of German reunification 36 years ago during a visit to the inter-Korean border. “Let us hope that Korea, too, will one day have the chance to regain its national unity,” he said.
“Here, too, we can see just how much such a country suffers from division and how strong the desire for reunification is, at least in this part of the Korean peninsula,” Merz added.
He also noted that, during his talks in Seoul, the German experience of reunification had been raised on several occasions.
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Cassis to visit North Korea as Swiss mission reopens
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
