Switzerland has reopened its diplomatic office in North Korea, with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis visiting Pyongyang for talks aimed at restoring direct political contact. The office has been operating since October 19 and remains under Switzerland’s embassy in Beijing, which retains responsibility for diplomatic and consular relations with North Korea.
Cassis was in Pyongyang on October 29 and 30, becoming the first Swiss foreign minister to visit the country since 2003, according to SWI swissinfo. He met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Jo Yong Won, a secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, the Swiss foreign ministry said.
The discussions covered the resumption of political dialogue, security on the Korean Peninsula and wider security issues in Europe and Asia. Cassis told Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS that he had offered Switzerland’s help in facilitating dialogue to ease tensions, and that the offer appeared to have been well received. North Korea’s state news agency described the ministers’ talks as taking place in a “friendly atmosphere,” without providing further detail.
Meetings continued in Seoul
Cassis travelled to Seoul on October 30 and 31, where he met National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and senior foreign ministry official Jeong Yeon-du. He briefed Jeong on the Pyongyang discussions. South Korea’s foreign ministry said Jeong hoped the Swiss office would help Seoul engage with the North, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Switzerland and North Korea have maintained diplomatic relations since 1974. Regular political consultations stopped after 2019, according to the Swiss government. The previous Swiss office in Pyongyang focused on humanitarian cooperation and closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Switzerland also participates in the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which has monitored the Korean War armistice since 1953.
Dana Mcgee