On the occasion of the Swiss National Day, Ambassador André Schaller and his wife Brigitte Schaller-Schoepf hosted a celebration at their residence on September 26, 2018.
The joyful and festive event, attended by HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz as a guest of honor, brought together more than 400 dignitaries, members of the Swiss-Saudi community, business people, academics, artists and the Saudi civil society to celebrate another year of vibrant Saudi-Swiss relations. Following the arrival of the guest of honor and a short private meeting between the Ambassador and the Prince, the two dignitaries officially opened the event.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Schaller thanked HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz for honoring the 727th Swiss National Day Celebrations with his presence. Ambassador Schaller, who started his mandate in Saudi Arabia on September 15, 2018 after having served for four years as Ambassador and Consul General in New York, focused on the close partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. He stated that he was “thrilled to be in a country which has created and follows its own most promising vision for the future”. He highlighted the vibrant economic bilateral relations between the two countries, testified by the recent meeting of the Joint Economic Commission held in Bern, the visit to Riyadh of State Secretary for Finance Jörg Gasser with a delegation of experts to exchange experience and the outstanding activities of the Swiss Business Network Saudi Arabia. Impressed by the traditional Saudi hospitality, Ambassador Schaller shared his determination to contribute together with his team to further promote the close partnership.
Throughout the evening, the guests could enjoy the sounds of the Swiss Alphorn Trio, which played traditional Swiss musical instruments in a young and modern style. The famous Swiss cheese specialty known as “raclette” was much appreciated by the attendees, reminding them the snow-covered, majestic Alps and deep, green valleys.
