1. Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam held the fourth Republic of Korea-Switzerland policy consultation with his Swiss counterpart Pascale Baeriswyl in Seoul on March 8, and engaged in an extensive exchange of views on ways to strengthen the relations between the ROK and Switzerland and their substantive cooperation; multilateral cooperation and cooperation on global issues; and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two sides shared the view that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1963, the two countries have advanced their relations based on strong mutual trust, and took note of robust high-level engagements underway between the two countries, including the summit during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics (Feb. 8), the Foreign Ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council meeting (Feb. 26, Geneva), and the policy consultation.

※ Swiss President Alain Berset visited the ROK for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games (Feb. 7-11) and attended its opening ceremony (Feb. 8).

- The Swiss President held a summit with the ROK President (Feb. 8), attended a pre-opening ceremony reception hosted by the ROK President (Feb. 9), and watched the women's ice hockey game between the joint Korean team and Switzerland together (Feb. 10).

3. The two sides took note that cooperation between the two countries is expanding to cover economic and financial affairs, as well as healthcare, and science and technology, as demonstrated by the conclusion of the ROK-EFTA (European Free Trade Association) FTA in 2006, the conclusion of the ROK-Switzerland currency swap deal (worth ₩11.2 trillion) on February 20 this year, and the launch of the Korean-Swiss Life Science Initiative Committee on February 8. They agreed to further facilitate cooperation in the areas.

※ The Korean-Swiss Life Science Initiative Committee is a public-private consultative mechanism between the two countries for R&D in the healthcare and medical sector. It was launched on February 8 to follow up on the conclusion of an MOU on R&D in the healthcare and medical sector between the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the ROK and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) of Switzerland (July 2016).

4. Vice Minister Lim talked about the latest developments in inter-Korean relations, including high-level North Korean delegations’ visits to the ROK, the ROK special envoys’ visit to North Korea, and the agreement between the two Koreas to hold an inter-Korean summit during the envoys’ visit. Vice Minister Lim asked for the Swiss government’s support for the ROK government’s North Korea policy. State Secretary Baeriswyl welcomed the recent progress in inter-Korean relations, and said that Switzerland, which has a channel for political dialogue with North Korea, will also continue to actively contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

5. Vice Minister Lim expressed appreciation to Switzerland for its active cooperation, including the dispatch of its biggest-ever athlete delegation to the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, the largest Winter Olympics in history, as well as for the country’s active participation in the PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games, which will kick off tomorrow (March 9).

※ Switzerland sent a delegation of about 400 people, including 171 athletes, to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

- Former President Samuel Schmid will visit the ROK in his capacity as head of a Swiss delegation to the Winter Paralympics.

o State Secretary Baeriswyl congratulated the ROK on the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and took note of the ROK side’s perfect preparations for the event. He also wished for the success of the Paralympics.

6. Furthermore, Vice Minister Lim and State Secretary Baeriswyl noted that the two countries have also been closely working together on global issues, including human rights and refugee issues, and agreed to strengthen their long-standing cooperation on the global stage, including mutual support for their efforts to increase presence in the international community.

7. The 4th policy consultation, which took place two years after the third one, served as a useful opportunity to review measures to follow up on the bilateral summit and foreign ministers’ meeting, held last month, and to discuss ways to step up cooperation in each area.

* unofficial translation