Expats praised as driving force of innovation

One of Switzerland's biggest assets is its capacity to innovate which goes hand in hand with increasing international mobility according to Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. In his speech to the annual Congress of the Swiss Abroad on Saturday Burkhalter stressed the importance for Switzerland to seek an exchange with the world while standing by its solid values. “Switzerland will remain strong if it retains its pioneering role in science and research. It will continue to be strong if it is wise enough to remain open,” he told the delegates of the Swiss diaspora meeting in Lausanne. Burkhalter is convinced that Switzerland’s traditional values are a trump card in a world which appears to change at an ever faster pace. “The capacity of innovation, its open mindedness, its freedom and its sense of responsibility are key and which we have to keep and to foster,” he said. He regretted that all too often, Switzerland’s top position and achievements in the world of ...