Swiss President Guy Parmelin meets Japanese Prime Minister Suga

On Saturday, 24 July, following the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Swiss president Guy Parmelin met Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga. Their talks focused on the close cooperation between Japan and Switzerland in trade and research, as well as on global issues. They also announced the opening of a new consulate in Osaka, which will also include a new swissnex location. This is the sixth location of the Swiss network for education, research and innovation. In his discussions with Mr Suga, Mr Parmelin paid tribute to Japan's commitment to the Olympic idea, to which Switzerland attaches great importance as the host country of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Japan is a global priority country in Switzerland's 2020-23 Foreign Policy Strategy, and relations between the two countries, while rich in tradition, remain dynamic, as both sides emphasised. Switzerland has had a free trade agreement with Japan, its second most important trading partner in Asia, since 2009.