PRESIDENT AND MR. ROBINSON HOSTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION, BERNE
PRESIDENT AND MR. ROBINSON HOSTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION, BERNE ON TUESDAY 31 MAY 1994
Mr. President
Federal Councillors
Ladies and Gentlemen,
- Thank you for your warm welcome today.
- Historical Irish affinities with Switzerland include a common Celtic legacy. La Tène, near Neuchâtel gave its name to a type of culture which spread across Gaul and Britain and lasted in Ireland from at least the 3rd century B.C. to the Viking and Norman period, and beyond.
- Later, Irish monks and scholars in the post-Roman period brought to Europe a Christianised Celtic culture which was strongly rural and rooted in local communities. This complemented the urban, centralised and administration oriented Roman inheritance. The monastic influence was especially deep in eastern Switzerland. The Irish contribution embraced both Irish and others, such as St. Beatus, who formed part of the Irish cultural world in what is now Switzerland. Irish saints remembered in Switzerland include St. Beatus, St. Bridget, St. Columbanus and, of course, St. Gall. Their names are associated with Basel, Einsiedeln and Reichenau.
- Coincidentally, it was at the meeting point of these areas of Celtic cultural origin and Irish cultural influence that democracy grew and the Swiss Confederation had its beginnings. The oldest democracy in the heart of Europe has always sought to preserve local rights with a necessary unity. This sentiment is confirmed in the modern constitution of the Helvetic Confederation.
- Switzerland is a country at the centre of the European continent. In many ways, it is an example to the continent as a whole, in its democratic values, its prosperity, its clean environment, and in the fruitful coexistence of linguistic and cultural diversity.
- In Switzerland, as in many countries, political and economic pressures can sometimes create tensions between the desire to maintain traditional local liberties and the wish to co-operate more closely at national and economic level. This has not prevented Switzerland from establishing an honourable record of involvement in international organisations: e.g. including the Red Cross, the former League of Nations, and the International Labour Organisation.
- Ireland and Switzerland, have in common our mutual commitment to our independence, our non-membership of military alliances, and our support for international cooperation. Our two countries are now faced with the challenges of the recent changes in Europe and how we see our future role in Europe and the world.
- As things stand, Ireland and Switzerland continue to enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship and work is currently under way to identify possible areas in which relations between Switzerland and the European Union can be further developed. It is my hope that these relationships shall continue to prosper and deepen.