Switzerland’s Federal President Micheline Calmy-Rey, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), will be in Armenia for an official visit from 31 March to 1 April 2011. Her program will include not just official talks but also the ceremonial opening of the Swiss embassy in the capital of Yerevan.
At the invitation of Armenia, Federal President Micheline Calmy-Rey will arrive in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on the evening of 30 March 2011 for the start of her official visit. During her visit she will, amongst other things, hold talks with the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and other high-ranking Armenian officials. These will include the Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and Catholikos Garegin II, Head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In Yerevan the Federal President will open the newly established Swiss embassy. Until now Switzerland has maintained its diplomatic presence in Armenia through the Office of the Embassy of Switzerland in Yerevan.
A visit to the second largest city of Gyumri in the north-west of the country is also planned. The Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) runs an education project there focused on the issue of catastrophe prevention.
