If this message is not displayed correctly, click here for the browser version. Greetings from Ambassador Thomas Kupfer

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1 If this message is not displayed correctly, click here for the browser version. 1/2017 EMBASSY NEWSLETTER. Greetings from Ambassador Thomas Kupfer Dear Swiss in Singapore, Dear friends of Switzerland, attend. The year of the fire rooster announces an enterprising and fruitful year - a year to get things done. So I am all the more pleased that this year Singapore and Switzerland celebrate their 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. The festivities promise a variety of exciting public events which hopefully many of you will In this spirit, the Embassy undertook various activities for the 50 years jubilee early on. We started this special year with a concert by Swiss Singaporean Pianist Rahel Senn at the Botanic Gardens, where she performed her song Island, dedicated to the 50 years celebrations. Then, world renowned Swiss Maestro Charles Dutoit, conducted a wonderful concert with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at the Esplanade. An important mark in the 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between Singapore and Switzerland was the visit at the end of March of the Council 1

2 of States Delegation, led by President Ivo Bischofberger. The Parliamentarian Delegation met with its parliamentarian colleagues from Singapore and was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan. The visit strengthened already close ties between Singapore and Switzerland and underlined the friendship built over decades. The Council of States Delegation met with members of the Swiss Community at a reception held at the Swiss Club during which we launched the postcard booklet 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations Switzerland Singapore (for the e-version click here). We expect other high level visits from Switzerland over the next months. Just after Easter, Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer will undertake an official visit to Singapore. He will be accompanied by an important business delegation from the finance sector. Together with the Embassy staff, I wish you a Happy Easter and send you my best regards. Thomas Kupfer Ambassador of Switzerland CONTENTS Politics and Economy Consular Affairs Science and Education Tourism Swiss Events in Singapore Staff changes Politics and Economy Visit of Council of States Delegation 2

3 On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Singapore, President of the Council of States, Mr Ivo Bischofberger and 5 other members of the Council of States (Ms Karin Keller-Sutter, first Vice President, SG; Mr Jean-René Fournier, second Vice President, VS; Ms Géraldine Savary, VD; Mr Alex Kuprecht, SZ; Mr Robert Cramer, GE) undertook a two day visit to Singapore at the end of March. President Ivo Bischofberger and the Council of States Delegation with Deputy Speaker Lim at Singapore Parliament. The Parliamentarian Delegation met with Deputy Speaker Lim Biow Chuan and members of the Singapore-Europe Regional Parliamentary Group. A courtesy visit was paid to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, with whom the delegation had a friendly and informative exchange. The visit strengthened the already close ties between Singapore and Switzerland and underlined the friendship we have built over decades. The delegation visited various Swiss institutions such as the Singapore ETH Centre for Global Environmental Sustainability (SEC), the St. Gallen Institute of Management in Asia and the Swiss School in Singapore which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The parliamentarians also visited important Singaporean institutions such as the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in order to get familiar with Singapore. Finally members of the Swiss community met the Council of States Delegation at an informal reception held at the Swiss Club with the launch of the postcard booklet 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations Switzerland Singapore. Click here to view photos of the official visit 3

4 . 50 Years Anniversary Postcard Booklet One of the highlights of this year s celebrations is the launch of our postcard booklet 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations Switzerland Singapore. Instead of a traditional book on the Swiss- Singapore relations, the Embassy opted for a more visual and light hearted project. The booklet comprises detachable postcards featuring 30 iconic motives representing the Swiss institutions, Postcard booklets 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations Switzerland Singapore our community and the Swiss companies. It gives a colorful insight into Swiss-Singaporean history in an unusual and fresh way, as the postcards are meant to be sent to families and friends. Indeed postcards are a typical Swiss product where they have been widely used for decades until today. For an electronic version of the booklet, please click here. The launching event of the postcard booklet was held on 27 March at the Swiss Club, in the framework of the Swiss Council of States visit to Singapore. The first edition of the booklet was presented to the President of the Swiss Council of States, Mr. Bischofberger by Ambassador Kupfer and Singapore s Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Andrew Toh. About 120 guests attended the event. Swiss multiple barbeque World Champion, Grill Ueli, spoiled the guests with interesting culinary creations. Consular Affairs Extended opening hours for Swiss passport applications & passport update Last year the Consular Section increased early morning passport appointments. This year we want to further enhance our customer service by offering early evening appointments starting from beginning of April. These appointments are available once every two weeks; the dates and exact 4

5 . timing can be checked on the online calendar after your passport application has been approved. We hope this service will match the needs of our community. Furthermore, we have the pleasure to announce that from April onwards the Swiss passport will come in an enhanced quality with a thicker and strengthened biometric data page. Frequent travellers will face less problems with cracked pages. Science and Education Science & Technology Diplomatic Circle Singapore The Swiss Embassy together with the Embassies of Norway, the US and Japan launched the Science and Technology Diplomatic Circle (S&TDC). The S&TDC is an association of members from 40+ diplomatic missions and international organizations in Singapore. The S&TDC s objective is to offer a platform for activities, seminars and visits interacting with Prof. Low Teck Seng (CEO National Research Foundation) leaders and officials from the governmental, private and academic. Recent activities include a seminar on the research and innovation landscape in Singapore hosted by the National Research Foundation Singapore and a visit to Singapore s National Center for 3D printing at Nanyang Technological University. Critical Thinking in a Changing World 5

6 .. Dr. Katja Fink, Prof. Jasmine Sim, Prof. Sarah M. Springman and Prof. Beatrice Weder di Mauro (fltr) How does ETH Zurich tackle the challenge to instill a culture of critical thinking across its institution? How does one make sense of news as social media disrupt traditional information paradigms? These were some of the topics addressed during the Critical Thinking in a Changing World event co-organized by the Swiss Embassy, ETH Zurich and its local alumni chapter at UBS Command House. A lively exchange of perspectives took place during the panel discussion between Prof. Sarah M. Springman, Rector at ETH Zurich, Prof. Beatrice Weder di Mauro (University of Mainz / INSEAD Singapore) and Prof. Jasmine Sim (National Institute of Education Singapore). The Discussion was moderated by Dr. Katja Fink (A*Star). Tourism Switzerland Travel Experience Southeast Asia Switzerland Tourism Southeast Asia (ST) organized the Switzerland Travel Experience roadshow with 27 delegates and over 500 visitors from the tourism industry and media. The roadshow was held in ST s main source markets Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in order to provide the latest touristic news from Switzerland, develop additional travel itineraries and tighten the network between the 30 Swiss suppliers and the local outbound travel and media industry. Beside all diligent business talks, entertaining presentations and certifications of new Switzerland Travel Experts, one of this year s highlights at the gala dinner with 80 invited guests was the performance by Lionel a young magician from Switzerland. 6

7 . Swiss Events in Singapore Event for young Swiss citizens On 9 March Ambassador Kupfer and Consul Ralph Steinegger received our young compatriots who turn 18 this year in order to celebrate them reaching the age of majority. The invitees received information about the Embassy s activities, a briefing about their (civil) rights, duties as adult citizens and information on study opportunities in Switzerland. The ceremony was followed by a raclette dinner at the Swiss Club. Switzerland Singapore Football Festival In conjunction with the 50 years celebrations of bilateral relations between Switzerland and Singapore, the Embassy of Switzerland and Active SG Football Academy this year again, host the Switzerland-Singapore Football Festival. We invite you to join us at the spectacular floating platform at Marina Bay on 22 April morning, where girls and boys from local and international schools as well as members of Active Singapore Football Academy will compete against each other. Staff Changes Staff changes at the Embassy 7

8 Manuel Fricker, Jasna Lazarević, Sofia Esposito, Jane Ng, Christiane Zangerle, Raffaella Cerulli, and Michel Wiedmer (fltr) We use this opportunity to inform our community about several staff changes at the Embassy. Vice- Consul, Ms Sofia Esposito, Ms Christiane Zangerle and Ms Murielle Henchoz are leaving the Embassy for new endeavours. We thank them for their great support. Mr Michel Wiedmer is replacing Ms Esposito and Ms Raffaella Cerulli and Mr Manuel Fricker are joining the Consular Section as new staff members. Ms Jasna Lazarević started her position at Diplomatic Attaché at the Diplomatic Section in January. Ms Rebecca Zay is the new Cultural Officer. Finally, Ms Jane Ng joined the Swiss Business Hub ASEAN as Local Trade Officer. We wish all of them success and satisfaction in their new positions. CONTACT Embassy of Switzerland in Singapore, 1 Swiss Club Link, Singapore , sin.vertretung@eda.admin.ch The Swiss Embassy Network Swiss Business Hub ASEAN, 1 Swiss Club Link, Singapore , sin.sbhasean@eda.admin.ch Switzerland Tourism, 1 Swiss Club Link, Singapore , info@myswitzerland.ch The Swiss Pillars in Singapore Swiss Association in Singapore, c/o Embassy of Switzerland, 1 Swiss Club Link, Singapore , secretary@swiss-sg.org SBA Swiss Business Association, c/o Embassy of Switzerland, 1 Swiss Club Link, Singapore , , officemanager@swissbusiness.org.sg Swiss Club, 36 Swiss Club Road, Singapore , / , marketing@swissclub.org.sg Swiss School in Singapore, 38 Swiss Club Road, Singapore , , 8

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