Following the accreditation of the Swiss Ambassador Dr Roberto Balzaretti and the Swiss Consul General Mr Andreas Maager in Monaco on Thursday, the Consulate General of Switzerland in Marseille held a Cocktail Dînatoire in the Salon Bellevue of the Café de Paris. Numerous representatives from politics, business and society accepted the invitation in the dreamlike setting directly at the Place de Casino.
The evening was opened by Dr Arik Röschke, who, as President of the Club Suisse de Monaco, welcomed the approximately 150 guests. Afterwards, the new Consul General of Switzerland (based in Marseille), Andreas Maager, addressed the audience. Mr Maager has worked for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) since 1984. As Consul General, the St. Gallen native was stationed in Cape Town and Atlanta before Marseille.
The Swiss Consulate General in Marseille was founded in 1799 and is one of Switzerland’s oldest consular representations. In his function, Consul General Maager is responsible for around 25,000 Swiss abroad, 3,906 of whom have found a home in the Alpes-Maritimes region. He once again congratulated the new Ambassador on his accreditation as Ambassador of Switzerland to Monaco.
Ambassador Dr Roberto Balzaretti was Chief EU Negotiator prior to his assignment in Paris. He asked those present to address the Consul General directly in passport matters, causing some amusement. This was followed by exciting and entertaining discussions in a wonderful setting.
After the French, Italians and British, the Swiss form the fourth largest community in Monaco with 1,148 people.
The Principality of Monaco opened an embassy in Bern in 1959. Since 2006, the Swiss ambassador based in Paris has been accredited to the Principality. Contacts between the two states take place mainly at multilateral level in the institutions of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF).
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Club Suisse de Monaco www.club-suisse-monaco.com
PHOTO: from left to right: Dr Arik Röschke (President Club Suisse de Monaco), Dr Roberto Balzaretti (Ambassador of Switzerland in Monaco), Silvia Mischler (Vice-President Club Suisse de Monaco), Andreas Maager (Consul General).
