Swiss–Turkish relations are foreign relations between

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Switzerland has an embassy in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

and a consulate-general in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. Turkey has an embassy in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

and consulates-general in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

and

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. Both countries are full members of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

, the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

, the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

and the

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

Demographics

Approximately 130,000 immigrants from Turkey live in Switzerland, many of them Turkish Kurds.

Bilateral relations

Turkey and Switzerland enjoy diverse relations and are engaged in regular high-level political dialogue. Both cultural and economic ties are significant. Switzerland is a major investor in Turkish businesses in the amount of US$94.3 billion (2005–2022), creating 14,500 jobs in Turkey. In 1988 both nations signed the bilateral ''Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement'' and the ''Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation'', which took effect on 1 January 2013. The ''1991 Free Trade Agreement'' through

EFTA The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Union ...

was amended and came into force on 1 October 2021. In 2008, the dialogue between both nations intensified after presidential visits and the two countries since 2009 hold annual political consultations particularly on security, business and migration. Bern Lombachweg 33

Since 2017 after the economic downturn in Turkey, the trade volume increased steadily and stood at almost US$17 billion (1.3 billion exports and 15.3 billion imports) in 2022. Turkey is also a major tourist destination for Swiss residents. Main export commodities are chemicals and pharmaceuticals, watches, textil industry components and medical devices. Imports from Turkey are typically gold, agricultural products and automobiles as well as petroleum and related products. With about 1,000 Swiss businesses operating in Turkey, and the projected expansion of the Turkish economy on a global scale, Turkey is seen as a strategically important nation for Switzerland. In 2023, a Swiss business delegation represented by SECO was invited to Ankara to discuss the modernisation of the EFTA free trade agreement to secure sustainable growth in economic relations.

Diplomatic incidents

In March 2017, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General launched an investigation into possible surveillance of the Turkish community in Switzerland. Those suspected of conducting the espionage reportedly worked at the Turkish embassy in

. The suspects reportedly monitored participants of a political protest at the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

and attempted to kidnap in 2016 a Swiss-Turkish businessman linked to the

Gülen movement The Gülen movement () or Hizmet movement () is an Islamist fraternal movement. It is a sub-sect of Sunni Islam based on a Nursian theological perspective as reflected in Fethullah Gülen's religious teachings. It is referred to by its membe ...

. Turkish Ambassador Ilhan Saygili denied the allegations. In June 2023, Turkey summoned Switzerland's ambassador Jean Daniel Ruch over a demonstration in Zurich against

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Tayyip Erdogan Tayyip () is a Turkish given name for males. Tayyip may refer to: * Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 1954), Turkish politician, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey from 2003 to 2014, and current President of Turkey since 2014 *Tayyip Talha Sa ...

, including burning of an effigy and banners being displayed. Deputy Foreign Minister

Mehmet Kemal Bozbay Mehmed or Mehmet is the most common Turkish form of the Arabic male name Muhammad () (''Muhammed'' and ''Muhammet'' are also used, though considerably less) and gains its significance from being the name of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Origina ...

told Ruch that the acts were unacceptable and requested an investigation to determine those involved.Huseyin Hayatsever (15 June 2023)
Turkey summons Swiss ambassador over demonstration against Erdogan
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

''.

Resident diplomatic missions

;Of the Swiss Confederation *

(Embassy) *

(Consulate-General) ;Of the Republic of Türkiye *

(Embassy) *

(Consulate-General) *

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

(Consulate-General)

References

External links

Swiss embassy in Ankara

Turkish embassy in Bern

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Switzerland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Switzerland-Turkey Relations