Switzerland – Visit to Geneva by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (26 Jun. 2020)

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will be in Switzerland today at the invitation of Ignazio Cassis, federal councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

At the French-Swiss customs office in Thônex–Vallard, they will attend a ceremony celebrating the reopening of the internal borders of the Schengen area and solidarity among European neighbors in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.

The minister of state will take stock of our close bilateral relationship during a meeting with Ignazio Cassis and Antonio Hodgers, president of the Council of State of Geneva.

He will chair a meeting with Swiss travel professionals to promote French destinations on this major market for the French tourism sector. Indeed, France is the leading foreign destination for the Swiss. Switzerland is our third-largest foreign client in terms of revenues, accounting for €5 billion per year, nearly 40 million overnight stays, and 27 million day trips.

In this city that is so important for multilateralism, Mr. Lemoyne will underscore the importance we attribute to the rule of law and international cooperation, and the holding of a videoconference of the Alliance for Multilateralism, of which Switzerland is also a member, co-chaired by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and his German counterpart.