| Fizah HAB |
A RECEPTION was hosted on the Fleur de Passion – a 33-metre Swiss research ketch – at the Queen Elizabeth II Jetty, Kampong Dato Gandi, Jalan Kota Batu on Monday night.
Thomas Kupfer, non-resident Ambassador of Switzerland to Brunei Darussalam; Pengiran Izad Ryan bin Pengiran Laila Kanun Diraja Pengiran Haji Bahrin, Honorary Swiss Consul to Brunei Darussalam; and Captain Pietro Godenzi, President of the Ocean Mapping Expedition and captain of the Fleur de Passion hosted the reception.
Kupfer noted the strong bilateral and commercial relations between Brunei and Switzerland as well as cooperation in various fields, including education, tourism and hospitality, expressing his gratitude for Brunei’s support in these aspects in the development of Swiss-Asean relations.
The Fleur de Passion is on a four-year round-the-world voyage called ‘The Ocean Mapping Expedition’, following the route taken 500 years ago on the first circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan. One of the aims of the expedition is to survey the state and condition of the world’s oceans.
The Ocean Mapping Expedition is a Geneva-based social project aimed to promote greater awareness on the human impact on the oceans and promote cultural exchange.
The reception also served as a farewell for Kupfer, who will return to Switzerland after serving as Ambassador to Singapore and non-resident Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam since 2012.
The event was attended by members of the foreign Diplomatic Corps, senior government officials and members of the Swiss community in Brunei Darussalam.
Guests were given the chance to board the boat and mingle with its crew members. They also had the opportunity to sample raclette, a traditional cheese indigenous to certain parts of Switzerland, courtesy of Captain Godenzi.
During Kupfer’s stint as non-resident Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Switzerland became a Sectoral Development Partner with Asean in July 2016.