NASSAU, The Bahamas – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Brent Symonette received His Excellency Werner Baumann, Ambassador of Switzerland to The Bahamas during a Courtesy Call on Monday, December 13, 2010.
In the conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre, discussions focused on recent achievements between both governments on a number of multilateral issues. A Schengen visa waiver agreement between The Bahamas and the European Community, of which Switzerland is a member, was finalised on May 28, 2009.
A Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) was signed between The Bahamas and Switzerland, after The Bahamas fulfilled the requirements of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for removal of a “grey list” of non-compliant financial jurisdictions.
As Switzerland is a member of the OECD and other international economic organisations including the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, The Bahamas hopes to count on Switzerland’s support for accession in the WTO. Ambassador Baumann first called on The Bahamas for the presentation of his Letters of Credence on September 21, 2006. He paid another call on December 2, 2008.
By Lindsay Thompson
Bahamas Information Services
