Cassis visits North Korea as Switzerland reopens diplomatic office

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis began a diplomatic visit to North Korea on Thursday. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the return of Swiss diplomacy to Pyongyang. It is no longer just an office of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation handling humanitarian aid, as before, but nor is it a full embassy: Switzerland is starting with a small office with political duties.

Markus Leitner, who heads the dossier at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, described the return as a long-planned move. He told Swiss broadcaster RSI that it is a signal: Switzerland wants to promote dialogue and strengthen trust in a situation marked by deep distrust. Amid geopolitical tensions, he said, the aim is to help avoid misunderstandings and, above all, a further escalation of the situation.

Relations dating back to 1974

The last visit by a member of the Swiss government was 23 years ago, when Micheline Calmy-Rey crossed the demarcation line between the two Koreas, the first representative of a foreign government to do so. In 2020, during the pandemic, Pyongyang expelled all foreigners and sealed itself off completely; the Swiss representation was also closed. Since then, the situation has changed: North Korea's economy is recovering, helped by its alliance with Russia and closer ties with China, while relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are as tense as ever.

Switzerland has had diplomatic relations with North Korea since 1974 and a regular political dialogue since 2003. Calmy-Rey has so far been the only member of the Swiss government to have paid a diplomatic visit to the country; she herself described that trip as "another era". In 2014, after her visit, then North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong travelled to Bern for a courtesy visit.

According to Leitner, Switzerland has maintained military observers on the demarcation line since the 1953 armistice, as part of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. With the new political office in Pyongyang, Bern intends to expand this long-standing commitment to dialogue and communication between the parties.

On Friday, Cassis will meet his North Korean counterpart. A meeting with leader Kim Jong-un is not planned as part of the official programme.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation had opened an office in Pyongyang in 1997, supporting projects mainly in agriculture and drinking water supply. Its last humanitarian programmes ended in 2024.