OREANDA-NEWS. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will stress the importance of the partnership between NATO and Switzerland during a two-day visit to Bern and Geneva (1-2 March 2017).

On Wednesday (1 March 2017), the Secretary General is meeting with the President of the Swiss Confederation, Ms. Doris Leuthard in Bern for talks on current security challenges and options for closer cooperation between the Alliance and Switzerland.

The Secretary General will discuss security challenges in the Middle East and North Africa at the Geneva Centre of Security Policy, where he will deliver a keynote speech on Thursday afternoon (2 March 2017). In his address, the Secretary General will make the case for the importance of projecting stability beyond NATO’s borders and set out how NATO can empower local forces and build resilient institutions.

During his debut trip to Switzerland as Secretary General, Mr. Stoltenberg will hold a range of bilateral talks, including with the Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Didier Burkhalter and the Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, Mr. Guy Parmelin. In Geneva, the Secretary General will meet with representatives from international organisations and NGOs, including with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr. Peter Maurer.