Switzerland signs South Africa visa waiver agreement
December 09 2009 by Liam Clifford
South African diplomats will no-longer require a visa to travel to Switzerland
Switzerland
and South Africa have agreed a deal that will enable South African diplomatic
passport holders to travel to Switzerland without the need for a
visa.
The agreement further enhances bilateral relationships between the
countries according to Ebrahim Ebrahim, South Africa’s International Relations
and Co-operation Deputy Minister.
The agreement is to be officially
signed by the end of the month, says Ebrahim.
The deal was struck as
Ebrahim and his counterpart in Switzerland, Michael Ambühl, co-chaired the
second annual forum which took place to review the progress that has been made
since the two first met in 2008.
At this first meeting in 2008, a
memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries. This followed the
signing of the 1998 declaration of intent on joint activities.
The move
reflects the fact that both ministers claim relations between South Africa and
Switzerland have been solid since 1998. It also helps boost trade between the
two countries and may lead to more people from Switzerland making the move to
South Africa and vice versa.
This is especially likely if more Swiss
citizens need to spend time working in South Africa as more deals are done
between the nations.
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