Switzerland is among the leading foreign investors in Bulgaria, is active through the Swiss-Bulgarian cooperation programme, INSAIT, and in the field of culture

E. Mr. Raymund Furrer, born 1960, in Zürich, graduated as lic. phil. I from the University of Zurich. He then worked as a project manager for a consulting firm and subsequently for several years at the Asian Development Bank in Manila. In 1993 Raymund Furrer joined the Development Service of the then Federal Office for Foreign Economic Affairs. From 1996 to 1998 he was the first embassy secretary at the Swiss delegation to the OECD in Paris. Back in Bern, he took over as Head of a WTO section and became Head of the Asia and Oceania country policy department at the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs in 1999. From 2001 to 2006, he was Senior Advisor at the World Bank in Washington and then worked as a project manager in the Economic Cooperation and Development Division until 2008, when he took over as Head of the Multilateral Financing Institutions Division. In 2012, he became Head of the Swiss Business Hub in Dubai and was additionally appointed Consul General. In 2015, Mr Furrer took over as Head of the Economic Cooperation and Development Division in the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) in Bern.

On September 21, 2021 H.E. Raymund Furrer presented his credentials to President Rumen Radev as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to the Republic of Bulgaria. In his three years in our country so far, this brilliant diplomat has given a new impetus to our bilateral relations in all spheres, organized significant events and created many friendships. Ambassador Raymund Furrer told about them to the Diplomatic Spectrum...  

- Your Excellency, Bulgaria and Switzerland have traditionally maintained warm friendly relations. Your country has been represented in Bulgaria since 1911, when a consulate was opened in Sofia, so our diplomatic ties have a history of over 110 years. At what level are they today?

- Our bilateral relations are excellent and they are continuously developing at many different levels. At the state level, for example, we have the Second Swiss Contribution to Bulgaria. Swiss and Bulgarian government representatives regularly meet in the framework of international fora. The Chairman of the Bulgarian National Assembly visited the President of the Swiss National Council recently. The President of Bulgaria had a working meeting with the Swiss President also in Bern. Exchange in all areas – politics, science, culture is progressing at a very good pace.

This year we celebrate the 130^th anniversary of the arrival to Bulgaria of the Swiss sports teachers. In 1894, ten young teachers from Switzerland were officially invited here to complete a very important mission: lay the foundations of sports education in Bulgaria. One of the Swiss teachers – Louis Eyer – not only co-founded the athletic unions "Yunak ", which had an important impact on Bulgarian youth, but even sacrificed his life for Bulgaria as a Balkan war voluntary.

- What role does Switzerland play in today’s world? There are so many conflicts and issues to be solved...

- Indeed, Switzerland is aware that multilateral policy is as important as bilateral relations, in particular in these times when the world is increasingly fragmented, polarized and volatile. As elected member of the United Nations Security Council 2023-24, Switzerland is working hand-in-hand with the other Council members for peace and security, prosperity, sustainability and digitalization as priority areas. This is our first mandate in the Security Council and Switzerland will ensure the Presidency in October 2024 for the second time. In parallel, Switzerland is hosting a “Summit on Peace in Ukraine”. Last but not least, in 2024 we mark the 75th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. As the depositary state, we would like to underline the importance of international humanitarian law for global peace.

- How would you comment on our economic relations?

- Let me mention the Bulgarian Swiss Chamber of Commerce (BSCC), which plays an important role in offering a platform to the business community in Bulgaria that has links with Switzerland. It has 130 members and is the first point of contact for Swiss companies with an interest in Bulgaria.

The volume of trade in goods between the two countries has risen sharply between 2022 and 2023 (by around 20%), while remaining relatively modest at around EUR 1 billion. Switzerland is therefore not one of Bulgaria's main trading partners. On the other hand, Switzerland ranks fourth in terms of foreign investment in Bulgaria.

- Your country is one of the important investors in our country. In which areas are Swiss interests? And are there any Bulgarian companies interested in investing in Switzerland?

- The economic landscape is relatively diversified in Switzerland. This diversity is reflected in the Swiss presence in the Bulgarian economy, with Swiss companies or companies with links to Switzerland operating in a variety of sectors. These include machinery and infrastructure, food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry or as service providers, obviously in the ICT sector, but also in human resources and energy.

A number of companies carry out R&D activities, with some hosting a Service Centre for the benefit of other entities within their respective groups. In this way, knowledge is continually transferred, creating added value and win-win situations.

As far as Bulgarian companies with interests in Switzerland are concerned, the Embassy is not aware of any major Bulgarian investments in Switzerland, but several companies have established links, particularly in the services sector.

- In 2022, Bulgaria and Switzerland signed a bilateral agreement implement the Second Swiss Contribution to Bulgaria. Could you tell us more about it?

- Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. However, we are very closely connected and Switzerland has a strong engagement to reduce economic and social disparities in selected EU member states. Bulgaria is one of them. The Framework Agreement is being implemented through the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme. In general, we have an excellent cooperation with our Bulgarian partners and important steps have been taken in view of starting the implementation of the eleven thematic programmes agreed between our two countries. Nevertheless, much remains to be done and it will be crucial to finalise the development and approval of all remaining programmes until the end of this year. Only by having sufficient time for implementation before the end of the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme in 2029, we can achieve the planned results and realise what makes our cooperation special, namely the exchange of experiences and the further development of good practices at all levels.

- You have been Ambassador to Bulgaria for more than two years now, and you must have heard of Aleko Konstantinov's famous travelogue 'What? Switzerland?'. Both Bulgaria and Switzerland have beautiful scenery and a rich cultural heritage. What is our tourist exchange?

- According to official data, more than 35 000 Swiss tourists have visited Bulgaria in 2023. This might not be an important number, but it is comparable to the number of tourists from some other European countries. Bulgaria is a beautiful country. With its rich and exciting history, it has the potential to attract even more foreign tourists. There are different segments in the touristic interest, for example, the many Thracian tombs are a timeless masterpiece. Cultural tourism is also an important asset: you have music festivals and galleries across the country. Bulgarian quality wine is another important attraction. Bulgaria has recently acceded to air Schengen, which makes travelling to Switzerland – also a Schengen member - easier.

- Through the Swiss-Bulgarian cooperation programme, Switzerland will improve the ecological characteristics of selected huts in Rila National Park. What will this entail in particular?

- The ProPark Programme in Rila National Park will go well beyond: The renovation of selected tourist infrastructures, like a visitor center, but also selected huts, is embedded into a programme that aims at creating the conditions for the sustainable use of the natural resources of Rila National Park. This is particularly important, considering the growing number of visitors; it will also create the possibility for other national and nature parks in Bulgaria, to emulate or adapt the solutions developed for Rila National Park.

- Many prominent Bulgarians have graduated from Swiss universities in the past. Cooperation in education and research also seems to be quite well developed today. Tell us more about it.

- INSAIT, the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology, is the best-known recent example of Swiss-Bulgarian cooperation in the field of research. The institute was founded 2022 in partnership with two of the world’s best technical universities, the ETH in Zurich and the EPF in Lausanne. The INSAIT functions as a special unit within Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Since its inception, we have seen the INSAIT become a gravity center attracting brilliant minds while at the same time preventing brain drain out of Bulgaria.

- The Swiss-Bulgarian Research Programme was the first Programme to be started. What possibilities does it comprise, and have you already selected Bulgarian researchers for support?

- In fact, I had the pleasure to sign the first operational agreement on the 1st August 2023, Switzerland’s national day, together with your Ministers of Education and Finance. The Swiss-Bulgarian Research Programme reflects the importance of research cooperation for Switzerland and its European partners. The programme has an overall budget of nearly 12 million Swiss francs and will be managed in partnership between the SNSF Swiss National Science Foundation and the Science Directorate of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science. Calls for two of the three funding instruments have already been opened and the last one will follow shortly. However, no selection has been made yet, as all the requests are being evaluated by independent expert panels.

- Are Bulgarian young people applying for the Swiss government's Excellence Scholarships for foreign scientists and artists?

- Switzerland has been offering excellence scholarships to Bulgaria for decades now. We have excellent Bulgarian candidates every year. They come from all scientific, but also artistic domains. I often meet former Swiss scholarship holders working in Bulgarian state authorities, scientific and art institutions. They all keep fond memories of their experiences in Switzerland. Indeed, they state that the scholarships have really made a difference in their respective professional careers. This is a specific example of solidarity with our partners and friends, which we consider as very important. The next call for scholarships will be announced, this year again, in September. We will be excited to receive our new excellent candidates.

- How are our cultural relations and cultural exchanges developing?

- The relations in the sphere of culture are thriving. We have many independent bilateral projects in the field of music. Many Bulgarian musicians live and work in Switzerland. This year, the "Allegra Festival and Academy", the initiative of a Bulgarian musician residing in Lucerne, Switzerland, celebrates its 10^th anniversary. The Zurich-based foundation "Géza Anda", named after the famous Hungarian-Swiss pianist, closely cooperates with the Bulgarian National Academy of Music. One of the foundation’s most outstanding prize winners, Georgian pianist Giorgi Gigashvili, recently appeared in the Rousse March Music Festival. In the sphere of visual arts, we often have works of Swiss artist visiting Bulgaria, for example in poster exhibitions and innovative installations. A special corner featuring Swiss geometric art exists in a gem of a gallery in Sofia. In literature, the Swiss Embassy presents a Swiss writer whose works exist in Bulgarian in each edition of the Literature Night.

- What do you want to realize in Bulgaria by the end of your term of office as a dream in professional terms, and why not in personal terms?

- There is more than one year to go. That the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries are further strengthened and to this end good opportunities are created or used. I would like, together with my wife, to further explore the variety of this beautiful country in terms of nature, history and culture; as well as to enjoy many opportunities to come into contact with Bulgarians and to exchange ideas with them and learn from them, why not over good food and drink.

The picture is provided by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bulgaria.