people
Katia: First, tell us a little about
yourself and walk us through your
background.
Ambassador Dahinden: I have
worked as a diplomat for more than
25 years and have had a chance to
work in many different areas. Before
becoming Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States I was heading the Swiss Humanitarian Aid and
Development Cooperation which
would be USAID here. I have been
responsible for management in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for
a long time I dealt with European
Security Policy. As many other diplomats, I have also visited many different countries. I was in Paris, Nigeria, Brussels, and so on.
Katia: What does an Ambassador
in your capacity do?
Ambassador Dahinden: My
main role is to work on the bilateral
relations between the United States
and Switzerland. This is what is very
much in the center of my work.
There are political relations between
the countries. There was even a time
in history when Switzerland and the
United States were the only Republics in the world. This led also to interesting mandates the United States
has given to us, for instance the protective power of the United States
in Iran. We were also very much
involved representing the USA in
Cuba, until this finished last year
The most exciting thing, at least as I
look at it, are the economic relations.
They are very strong and are developing in a powerful way. This is also
the reason why I am here in Texas
today.
Another element is the scientific
46 iF Magazine | NOVEMBER 2016