Swiss model can help Pakistan make peace with neighbours: CG

Karachi
The Swiss Consul General in Karachi, Emil Wyss, on Thursday advised Pakistan to apply the model of peaceful co-existence with neighbours for enjoying the fruits of stability in the region.
Outlining the main characteristics of Swiss diplomacy, he said it laid emphasis on peaceful relations with neighbours which was the key to attaining regional peace.
He said Pakistan could apply this model for furthering its development.
The consul general was delivering a lecture on diplomacy in Switzerland organised by the department of international relations of the Karachi University.
He said the protection of human rights is imperative for the development of any country. Switzerland has one of the most sophisticated education and transportation systems in the word and is one of the major contributors of United Nations peacekeeping operations.
In the past 50 years, he said, the Swiss diplomacy in the past 50 years had taken a major shift because its approach had proactive from reactive as far as bilateral ties with other countries were concerned.
The consul general said Switzerland had joined the United Nations in 2002 but was still not a part of the European Union. He said though women in Switzerland got the right to vote relatively later in 1971, it should be noted that since then five out of nine former presidents have been females, which was a significant leap towards their empowerment.
He said Switzerland had not allowed the US army to use its airfields for military purposes during the Iraq war, but played a key role in relief operations. “Switzerland is playing a significant role in the reformation of United Nation’s Security Council and is one of the countries to have initiated this debate,” he said.
The diplomat also pointed out that as many as 263 foreign diplomatic missions reside in Switzerland while 142 Swiss missions were located all over the world. “We do not have natural resources but we still have managed to execute an excellent educational system, besides good vocational training. Switzerland has the largest number of Nobel Prize winners, which is indeed a dominant and significant achievement,” he said.
Also speaking on the occasion, the dean of social sciences at KU, Prof Dr Moonis Ahmar, said Switzerland had ensured its sustenance of a neutral position during both the world wars, which was miraculous feat. He said the Swiss nation was multicultural and multilingual, with 25 percent of the total population being non-Swiss.
“The Swiss welfare system state is the key for development and the country is indeed a role model for the entire global community for its welfare system.”