On the 25th anniversary the Embassy of Switzerland hosted an event to discuss economic
and business links between the two countries and innovation as a driver for economy. The
new Swiss-Albanian Chamber of Commerce was also officially launched
Relations between Switzerland and Albania have improved also in the economic and business area
since Switzerland opened its Embassy 25 years ago. However, there is much more potential to
be tapped in terms of mutual investments and trade. These were the messages on the second day
of events under the frame of 25th anniversary of the Swiss Embassy in Tirana.
�I would like to see more Swiss businesses and investments in this country. The potential exists,
but there is still a lot to be done to exploit it. I am pleased that today we are making one step forward
with the launch of a Swiss Albanian Chamber of Commerce�, said Swiss Ambassador Christoph
Graf during the opening speech.
Present at the event was also Raymond Furrer, Head of Economic Cooperation and Development
at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), who spoke about innovation. �Innovation
is topic of complexity and is essential to competitiveness and to generating work. It is a combination
of new technology and adapting to new situations. Important is the mindset. It creates winners
and losers, it involves risks, calculated risks. Failures are important because they make the
daring ones stronger�.
A panel discussion followed where representatives of the Albanian government, universities and
businesses talked about how to improve the environment for businesses and start-ups, how to include
innovation, and how to achieve employment growth. Outgoing Minister of Innovation Milena
Harito took part in the discussion together with Gianni Nigro, Vice President of SICPA, Lausanne,
Daniel Meier, CEO of Aerotain, Z�rich, and Linda Shomo, CEO of EasyPay, Tirana.
The launch of the Swiss-Albanian Chamber of Commerce was the highlight of the evening where
Xavier Davard, the President of the new chamber representing several Swiss companies, greeted
the audience and announced that �the new Swiss-Albanian Chamber of Commerce will be a great
promoter of exchanges between businesses of the two countries and it will contribute to sectors
that need expertise from Swiss companies. One the first activities for us will be the investment in
the vocational �Pavar�sia� school in Vlora where the Chamber will provide 3D printers for the students�
said Mr. Davard. The Chamber has five Swiss companies as its founding members: Trans
Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), SGS, SICPA, PWC, and SIKA.
The celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Swiss Embassy continue Wednesday, 14th of September
with a premiere of the Swiss-Albanian film �Dealing with the Past� and a panel discussion
on the topic.