Bern, Switzerland--French President Francois Hollande arrived in Switzerland Wednesday for a state visit aimed at mending ties clouded by spats over tax evasion claims.
The two-day trip is the first state visit to Switzerland by a French president since Jacques Chirac's stopover 17 years ago.
Paris is aiming to smooth over a series of squabbles with its wealthy neighbour centred mainly on tax issues, but is also looking to the enterprising Swiss for inspiration on education and green economic growth.
French presidents rarely pay a call to their Swiss counterparts: before Chirac's visit in 1998, Francois Mitterrand came in 1983 and Armand Fallieres stopped by... in 1910.
The tax evasion issue has long weighed on relations, as Paris has become increasingly impatient with French nationals taking advantage of Swiss banking secrecy laws to stash cash out of sight of tax authorities back home.
But the atmosphere has "improved considerably" over the past two years, the French presidency told AFP, adding however that Switzerland must "obviously pursue" its efforts.
AFP
