Embassy of Switzerland in

Newsletter

No 7, April 2016

Dear compatriots, Dear friends of Switzerland,

I am pleased to present to you the new edition of the Newsletter of this Embassy. One highlight of these last months was the Francophonie days that we celebrated in March in , during which the Swiss artist Jacky Lagger sang in front of around 800 children. In an unsteady diplomatic life, it is usual for people to arrive, stay for some time and then move to the next posting. This time, the Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar is affected:

Mr. Enrico Pianta was – as Consul and 1st Secretary – responsible for logistically building up the Swiss Embassy in Qatar (which was – as you may remember – opened officially in April 2013). As Head of the Consular section, he saw a steady increase of Swiss citizens moving to Qatar. A great challenge was also to integrate the Consular affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and of the State of Kuwait, which have been taken care of since October 2015 by the Regional consular hub in Doha. Mr. Enrico Pianta will definitely leave Doha in June and head to the Swiss Embassy in Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic). He will be replaced by Mr. Thomas Fischer, who will join us from our Embassy in Nepal.

Mr. Pianta’s Deputy, Mr. Matthias Schnyder, has also largely contributed to the set-up of this Embassy and has helped to integrate with its team the services of Bahrain and Qatar into Regional consular hub in Doha. As Head of the visa section, he had to handle a steadily increasing number of visitors to Switzerland. Mr. Matthias Schnyder will leave Doha in July 2016 and will join the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo. He will be replaced by Mrs. Martina Masat, who currently works at the Swiss Embassy in Moscow.

I would like to express my special thanks to both of my colleagues for what they have accomplished in Qatar and wish them all the best in their future country of residence, privately and professionally.

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

I also would like to thank Mr. David Rochat (intern), who has edited the Embassy’s newsletter.

Kind regards,

Etienne Thévoz Ambassador

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

Recent Events

Jacky Lagger: our guest for the “Francophonie”

From 11th to 14th March, the Embassy of Switzerland to Qatar & Bahrain was delighted to invite the Swiss musician Jacky Lagger for the celebration of the days of the “Francophonie”. If Jacky Lagger is well known in the French part of Switzerland, it is thanks to his music and songs mainly addressed to kids even if adults often feel concerned by his lyrics. Jacky Lagger played during four days of “French & Music” in Doha. The first concert was held in FNAC who were with Fifty-One East our generous partners during this year’s “Francophonie”. The second concert took place at the Ambassadors’ residence for the Swiss colony and for friends of the Swiss Embassy. The last two days were dedicated to the children of the French “Lycées Voltaire” who were happy to share this great moment with Jacky Lagger. Mr Lagger played altogether in six sessions in front of more than 800 children during his four days stay in Doha.

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

The Embassy of Switzerland was also attending the opening ceremony of the Francophonie at the Opera House at Katara in the presence of the Minister of Culture and Sport, H. E. Mr. Saleh Bin Ghanem Bin Nasser Al Ali.

Switzerland explained to children at the English Modern School

In February, during the international week of the English Modern School of Doha, Switzerland has been presented to children. Indeed Switzerland was the country the class of Dorotha Scislowska decided to discover during their week. The Embassy was happy to provide them with different items related to Switzerland.

You can read below a short text written by Mrs Scislowska.

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

"EMS Doha Primary students enjoyed two days of activities related to different countries. Each class visited 8 different homeroom teachers and learned about various cultures. One of the Year 3 classes chose Switzerland as their country. They researched geography, food, languages and music. Students got to do ski preparation training, they designed their own chocolate wrapper and learned about how Toblerone is made. They also studied in depth how a Swiss army knife is made and created their own project of a personalized pocket knife with tools appropriate to their needs. Students were really grateful for the souvenirs that were provided by the Swiss Embassy and said they would love to visit Switzerland one day."

Event of the Swiss Business Council

On the 29th February 2016, around 180 participants attended the event of the Swiss Business Council at the Grand Hyatt about the future creation of three “special economic zones” in Qatar:

1. Ras Bufonatas of 4 km2, near the new Hamad Internatonal Airport (this zone will be developed first); 2. Al Kharaana, of approximatively 48 km2 near the border of Saudi Arabia; 3. Um Alhoul, of around 33 km2 near the new seaport (construction is supposed to start in 2017).

This event was co-hosted by the Austrian, Belgian and German Business Councils and counted around 180 participants.

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

The professional and detailed presentation given by Mr. Al-Malki covered the wide range of activities of Manateq, a company specialized in creating free economic zones. After the presentation, a Q&A session took place where company representatives and lawyers had the opportunity to address their queries. The event ended with a networking

standing dinner.

Swiss Community in Bahrein & Kuwait

On March 21st, consultation hours for Swiss citizens for consular affairs (civil status, passport questions, etc.) were offered to the Swiss community in Kuwait by the Deputy Head of the Consular section of this Embassy, Mr. Matthias Schnyder.

Consultation hours were also held on March 22nd for our fellow compatriots in Bahrain. In the evening, a dinner was hosted for the Swiss colony by H. E. Mr. Etienne Thévoz, Ambassador of Switzerland to the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Swiss Embassy as the Regional Hub for Consular Affairs plans to hold further consultation days for the Swiss colony in Bahrain and in Kuwait.

«Soirée Dégustation culinaire» (Francophonie Festivities 2016)

In order to celebrate the end of the Francophonie, the Swiss Embassy provided Swiss cheese during the “Soirée Dégustation culinaire” that was held at the Lycée Bonaparte on 31st March 2016. What could have been better to close the days of the “Francophonie” than a real mix of culture displayed in beautiful and tasteful dishes? Despite the rainy weather, people were happy to enjoying the unique taste of Swiss “raclette” in the middle of a cultural food exchange.

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

Upcoming Events

Qatar University Study Abroad Fair

April 18th will be dedicated to the “Study Abroad Fair” at the in presence of numerous international universities, various Embassies and a few language institutes.

In this stimulating and active framework, the Embassy of Switzerland to Qatar & Bahrain will represent 10 federal & cantonal Swiss Universities. For this new edition, the Embassy will welcome you on their booth to answer your questions about studying in Switzerland and our Swiss Universities.

The Fair will also be open to the public from 9:00am to 6:00pm.

Country Represented Participating Institution

 Australia - Melbourne University - Austrade  Canada - Embassy of Canada  France - French Embassy - Institut Français du Qatar - CAMPUS FRANCE QATAR  Germany - German Language Centre Doha - German Embassy  Japan - Embassy of Japan  The Netherlands - Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands - Groningen University  South Korea - Hanyang University  Spain - Embassy of Spain  Sweden - Lund University - Embassy of Sweden  Switzerland - Embassy of Switzerland  Turkey - Embassy of Turkey  UK - University of Sheffield - University of Bristol - Robert Gordon University - Northumbria University - Durham University - British Council Qatar  USA - U.S. Embassy - West Virginia University

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Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar

Celebration of the Swiss National Day for the Swiss colony

The Swiss National Day will be held this year on 2nd May 2016, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. On this matter, we wish to thank our generous sponsors and the General Manager of the Grand Hyatt Hotel Mr. Christoph K. Franzen to host the Swiss colony in Qatar as well as our friends to celebrate the 725th anniversary of the Foundation of the Swiss Confederation.

Meanwhile, all Swiss citizens in Qatar should have received an invitation. If not, please contact this Embassy: [email protected]

3rd Edition of the Katara European Jazz Festival 2016

The 3rd Edition of the Katara European Jazz Festival is planned to take place in fall of this year, probably at the last week of October or first week of November. Again, several European embassies will present jazz groups of their respective countries.

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