The meeting suggests a potential thawing of the icy trade relations between Switzerland and the U.S. as government officials seek to negotiate a bilateral agreement to lower tariff rates to more manageable levels. The Swiss business leaders, which also included Richemont Chairman Johann Rupert, said the Oval Office meeting aimed to underscore the strong economic ties between Switzerland and the U.S. and that the “discussions highlighted the strength of the private sector relationships that are a cornerstone of our bilateral cooperation and mutual prosperity.”
The executive group represented some of the biggest names in Swiss watchmaking including Rolex, Cartier and Breitling. Other business leaders attending the meeting included Alfred Gantner, the billionaire Swiss co-founder of Partners Group, the private equity firm that controls the Swiss brand Breitling. Daniel Jaeggi, a co-founder of Swiss commodities trading firm Mercuria, as well as Diego Aponte, the head of Geneva-based cruise ship and container ship operator MSC, and Marwan Shakarchi, of Swiss gold refiner MKS PAMP also attended the White House meeting. The private Swiss business delegation said the content of the discussions was shared with the Swiss Federal Council and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
“We will remain engaged in a supportive role and we fully back the efforts of the Swiss government to find a path that strengthens Switzerland and makes us even more united as a people and a country,” the business leaders said in the statement.
