Australia, Switzerland to strengthen ties by strategic dialogue

Australia and Switzerland will strengthen bilateral ties by establishing a Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced in a statement on Monday. According to the statement, the new partnership will involve regular meetings at both the ministerial and senior official levels to strengthen cooperation on global security and economic issues, foster two-way trade and investment, and increase people- to-people links. According to Bishop, the establishment of this framework for high-level discussions reflects the importance of relations between Australia and Switzerland as like-minded partners on international issues. "Our two countries also share significant economic ties, and Switzerland was the fifth largest overall investor in Australia in 2012," she said. And Bishop noted that Swiss passport holders would shortly be able to access Australia's automated border processing system, SmartGate, with initial trials commencing before the end of the year. "Swiss passport holders will be among the first group outside those from New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom to be able to use SmartGate when travelling to Australia. This world-leading technology will facilitate Swiss travellers' entry to Australia and minimise the time they spend at border control," Bishop explained. In addition, she also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of science, research and innovation, which will provide the framework for future collaboration between Australia's and Switzerland's best scientists and world-leading research institutions. "Increasing Australia's global scientific, research and innovation collaboration is a priority for the Australian government. This new partnership presents an exciting opportunity for Australia's and Switzerland's world-class researchers and institutions to work together on major projects, including those that stimulate economic growth and create future business opportunities," she said.