Diplomacy President Parmelin at the unofficial government summit in Dubai
President Guy Parmelin met with heads of state from various nations at the unofficial World Governments Summit in Dubai. The agenda included talks with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Zayed Al Nahyan.
03.02.2026, 18:21
SDA
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) announced on Tuesday that the quality of the relationship between Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates was emphasized during the talks with Zayed Al Nahyan. According to the communiqué, both sides signed declarations of intent on water supply and the establishment of a joint economic commission.
The talks focused in particular on education, research and humanitarian aid. International issues such as the situation in Gaza, Iran and Yemen as well as the search for lasting peace in Ukraine were also addressed.
Bilateral talks on the fringes of the summit
Parmelin also held bilateral talks with Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu and North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova on the fringes of the summit, according to the press release. Among other things, they discussed bilateral relations, the Switzerland-EU package and the countries of the Western Balkans.
The President of the Swiss Confederation also met with Angolan President João Lourenço to discuss trade relations between the two countries. Several meetings with representatives of Swiss companies were also on the agenda.
The summit, which was dedicated to the topic of governance of the future, is not a traditional political conference, but a forum for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and models for the future. It brought together around 30 heads of state and government as well as 400 ministers, according to the EAER.
