The Swiss president’s visit is part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Switzerland.
Mexico opened its first Swiss consulate in Basel in 1832, while Switzerland opened its consulate in Mexico in September 1827. However, it was not until December 22,1945 that the two countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations.
For a long time the bilateral relationship was limited by Switzerland’s policy of neutrality and its absence in the major international forums. However, in recent decades, trade and investment issues have been the most important parts of the bilateral relationship, due to the increasing presence of large Swiss companies in Mexico.
The guidelines for strengthening the bilateral relationship are:
a) Taking advantage of the two countries’ areas of agreement at the multilateral level
b) A Mexico-Switzerland Political Consultation Mechanism, whose seventh meeting was held in December 2015
c) Exploring new benefits under the Mexico-EFTA Free Trade Agreement
Switzerland ranks 19th in the world among Mexico’s trading partners and 1st among the EFTA members.
In the area of economic development, there is significant potential in the mining industry, especially in products such as gold, silver and copper, as well as in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. In recent years, Switzerland and Mexico have been negotiating a draft Convention for the Recovery and Return of Stolen or Illegally Exported or Transferred Archaeological, Artistic and Cultural Properties.