Welcome

Ambassador Peter Nelson
Ambassador Peter Nelson ©FDFA, photo Dominik Sepp

 

Dear readers,

Grüezi, bonjour, buongiorno, bun di and dobrý deň - and welcome to the website of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bratislava.

Switzerland and Slovakia established official diplomatic relations in 1993 and in 2023 we could already celebrate the 30th anniversary of this memorable moment. But the connection between our countries goes back even further. Did you know, for example, that Switzerland took in around 13,000 refugees from Czechoslovakia after the end of the Prague Spring in 1968? This significant moment in our shared history has had a lasting impact on bilateral relations between our two countries and created a bond that we still feel today.

The Swiss Embassy in Bratislava was opened in October 1999. It is a diplomatic mission without consular services: Slovakia falls within the consular district of the Regional Consular Center in Vienna. It is responsible for all consular matters for Swiss nationals in Slovakia. In addition, a honorary consulate was opened in 2013 to mark the 20th anniversary of bilateral relations. It is located in the shadow of the High Tatras, in Prešov in eastern Slovakia.

In addition to safeguarding Swiss interests in the political, economic and cultural spheres, the focus of bilateral cooperation is on implementing the Second Swiss Contribution. The bilateral agreement on the implementation of the contribution was signed on September 19, 2023. Until 2030, programs in the areas of vocational education and training, environment/biodiversity and health will be implemented in cooperation with Slovak partners.

I invite you to discover more about the diverse bilateral relations between Switzerland and Slovakia on our website. And I encourage you to follow the Embassy on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn for regular updates on our work and on Switzerland.

Peter Nelson

The Ambassador of Switzerland to Slovakia