Foreign relations of Switzerland
The foreign relations of Switzerland are the primary responsibility of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Some international relations of Switzerland are handled by other departments of the federal administration of Switzerland.
The First Geneva Convention (1864). Geneva is the city that hosts the highest number of international organisations in the world.
Session in the Palace of Nations in Geneva
The ministers of foreign affairs of Germany, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, France, Russia, the European Union and Iran meeting in Geneva for the interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme (2013).
Embassy of Switzerland in Havana
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, so named since 1979, is one of the seven Departments of the Swiss government federal administration of Switzerland, and corresponds in its range of tasks to the ministry of foreign affairs in other countries. The department is always headed by one of the members of the Swiss Federal Council. Since 1 November 2017, the department is headed by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis.
The west wing of the Federal Palace of Switzerland