The Swiss of Belgium ordered not to interact with Ignazio Cassis
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FunnyThe Swiss of Belgium ordered not to interact with Ignazio Cassis
Expats have received a surprising e-mail about the visit of the President of the Confederation to Brussels next week.
“Dear and dear compatriots. At the end of November, we will experience a great event in Belgium! President Ignazio Cassis will come, as Swiss head of state, on a state visit to Belgium with all protocol honors.” Last week, the Swiss Embassy in Belgium sent an e-mail to Swiss nationals in Belgium announcing the arrival of the Minister from Ticino in Brussels from Wednesday 23 to Friday 25 November. The head of the FDFA and his wife will be received by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. In particular, it is planned to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
It is this part of the program, scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m., that the Swiss colony will be able to attend, writes the embassy. But she warns: “However, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that given the strict protocol requirements, you will not be SAP possible to shake hands with the President of the Confederation or to interact with him in any form.» In capitals and in bold in the text.
Program officer
“This sentence makes the Swiss in Belgium laugh a lot. We are invited but it is important not to show that we are there, “says the expatriate who sent us the mail. The tone is indeed dry to say the least. And the request is all the more surprising since in general Ignazio Cassis is more of a fan of crowd baths.
Information taken from the FDFA, it is not the decision of the President of the Confederation. It’s military protocol.
“The ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier, a very solemn moment, follows a strict and timed military protocol, with distances to be respected. The directives for the conduct of this ceremony are given by Belgian protocol”, explains its head of press service, Michael Steiner, who wants to be reassuring: “Of course, the President of the Cassis Confederation then takes a short moment to greet the Swiss citizens present. But due to the busy schedule of the state visit, contact with the population will unfortunately be limited to a few brief moments.”
As for our expatriate, he insists: “I will try to shake his hand anyway! »