The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh has recently moved to its new premises in Gulshan-2, Dhaka and to celebrate the occasion, the embassy held a function on Wednesday at the new premises, said a media release.
Swiss citizens living in Bangladesh and partners from the government, business and development sectors attended the ceremony.
In the 1970s, Switzerland supported Bangladesh by providing humanitarian aid. From the early 1980s, relations were progressively strengthened with the introduction of a broad programme of development cooperation.
Chargé d’ affaires a.i. of the Swiss Embassy, Caroline Trautweiler has underscored the remarkable evolution of the diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Bangladesh over the last four decades, according to a UNB report. From a modest beginning, the relations have expanded into various avenues, especially business and development cooperation, and noted that with the Swiss embassy and the Swiss cooperation office moving under one roof, the embassy is a more integrated unit now.
Following the impressive socio-economic development of this country in the last two decades, the economic and trade relations between Bangladesh and Switzerland are gaining more prominence.
Last year, the trade volume between Switzerland and Bangladesh stood at approximately US$ 400 million, having increased more than 50% from 2010. The annual Swiss development assistance to Bangladesh amounts to around CHF 30 million.
