Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis concluded a four-day Middle-East tour on 25 October 2025 that revitalises Switzerland’s diplomatic footprint in two strategically important destinations for Swiss companies and expatriates. After meetings in Amman and Baghdad, the Foreign Minister dedicated 25 October to Kuwait City, where he and Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya cut the ribbon on a climate-optimised chancery celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations.
In Iraq, Cassis re-opened the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad—closed for more than three decades because of security concerns—and held talks with Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The relaunch coincides with a 9.1 % rise in Swiss–Iraqi trade in 2024 and emerging opportunities for Swiss firms in energy infrastructure and healthcare. The mission will provide on-the-ground consular assistance for the estimated 120 Swiss citizens and dozens of Swiss contractors now active in Iraq’s reconstruction projects.
The new embassy building in Kuwait embodies Swiss sustainability standards and offers expanded visa-processing capacity. For Swiss multinationals operating regional hubs in the Gulf, a full-service mission reduces administrative lead times for work and dependent visas, attestation of corporate documents and emergency travel support.
Cassis used the visit to discuss regional water-diplomacy under the Blue Peace initiative, as well as Gaza cease-fire efforts—both of which drive humanitarian staff rotations through Swiss passport control desks worldwide. Enhanced diplomatic coverage is expected to streamline movements for aid workers and consulting engineers deployed under Swiss-funded projects.
Business-mobility specialists note that Switzerland’s “diplomacy-on-the-ground” model increasingly links foreign policy with practical mobility services—facilitating market entry, easing repatriation risk and deepening economic ties in volatile jurisdictions.
In Iraq, Cassis re-opened the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad—closed for more than three decades because of security concerns—and held talks with Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The relaunch coincides with a 9.1 % rise in Swiss–Iraqi trade in 2024 and emerging opportunities for Swiss firms in energy infrastructure and healthcare. The mission will provide on-the-ground consular assistance for the estimated 120 Swiss citizens and dozens of Swiss contractors now active in Iraq’s reconstruction projects.
The new embassy building in Kuwait embodies Swiss sustainability standards and offers expanded visa-processing capacity. For Swiss multinationals operating regional hubs in the Gulf, a full-service mission reduces administrative lead times for work and dependent visas, attestation of corporate documents and emergency travel support.
Cassis used the visit to discuss regional water-diplomacy under the Blue Peace initiative, as well as Gaza cease-fire efforts—both of which drive humanitarian staff rotations through Swiss passport control desks worldwide. Enhanced diplomatic coverage is expected to streamline movements for aid workers and consulting engineers deployed under Swiss-funded projects.
Business-mobility specialists note that Switzerland’s “diplomacy-on-the-ground” model increasingly links foreign policy with practical mobility services—facilitating market entry, easing repatriation risk and deepening economic ties in volatile jurisdictions.
