Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar on an official visit to Switzerland
Berne, 26.05.2026 — Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar met with Swiss President Guy Parmelin in Bern on Tuesday, 26 May. The official talks at the Lohn estate focused in particular on further strengthening the excellent relations between Switzerland and Slovenia, European policy matters and the security situation on the continent.
President Parmelin and President Pirc Musar highlighted the strong momentum in bilateral relations, which are characterised by intensive economic and scientific exchanges as well as cooperation in implementing projects co-financed in Slovenia under the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states.
Bilateral trade in particular has grown significantly in recent years. Excluding the gold sector, Slovenia is Switzerland’s third most important trading partner after the United States and Germany, largely due to supply chains in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Switzerland is the third largest foreign investor in Slovenia after Austria and Luxembourg. This growth in economic exchange is opening up further opportunities for research cooperation. The discussions also centred on energy efficiency and renewables projects co-funded through the second Swiss contribution.
On the European policy front, President Parmelin explained the domestic steps involved in handling the package of agreements on stabilisation and further development of Swiss–EU relations (Bilaterals III).
The security situation in Europe was also discussed, in particular the war in Ukraine. Mention was made of the European Political Community Summit scheduled to take place in Switzerland in the first half of 2027 and of Switzerland’s current chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The situation in the Western Balkans, long a priority of Swiss foreign policy, was also on the agenda. The Swiss president reaffirmed Switzerland’s support for EU integration of the Western Balkans as a means of promoting peace and prosperity in the region. In addition, he emphasised the role of international Geneva as a key venue for multilateral cooperation in response to major global challenges.
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