After 55 years Switzerland Embassy reopens in Lagos

                         

Fifty-five years ago, the Swiss government shutdown its embassy in Nigeria, however, a new Consulate-General’s Office has reopened in Lagos.

The Vanguard reports that Switzerland’s Federal Counsellor and Head of Foreign Affairs, Mr Didier Burkhalter, before declaring the office officially opened on Tuesday, March 8, said that it was currently Switzerland’s second Consulate-General’s Office in Sub-Saharan Africa.


“Switzerland is officially returning to the place where its long-standing friendship with Nigeria started 55 years ago: the exciting city of Lagos! “Ever since the opening of our embassy, Nigeria has been at the heart of our foreign policy on Africa,’’ he said.

According to him, the economic significance of Nigeria could not be “overstated’’. He added that it was “one of the main reasons’’ that the Consulate-General had been reopened.

“As the biggest economy in the continent, Nigeria not only plays a major role in shaping developments in Africa, this position also enables Nigeria to contribute to economic growth worldwide,” he said.

In a related development, the Nigeria government welcomed representatives of the Swiss government on Tuesday, the two governments discussed on the repatriation of another tranche of huge public funds stolen by late Head of State, Sani Abacha.