| Honorary consuls are local personalities who represent foreign states in Switzerland, and they are not paid for their work. What motivates them? (RTS/swissinfo.ch)
There are about 130 honorary consuls them in Switzerland. They are not professional diplomats, but people who work on a voluntary basis until their appointments are revoked. For instance, François de Coulon, who owns the château of Eclépens in the canton of Vaud and a large wine estate, is also an honorary consul for Slovakia. Jean-Marc Probst is the director of a business that sells machines for the building industry. He is also honorary consul for Germany in cantons Geneva, Valais and Vaud. His consulate provides passports and official documents for the 16’000 Germans in the region. Michel Sogny is a pianist, composer and doctor of philosophy who developed a new approach to teaching the piano. He has his own foundation, SOS Talents, which was created to support gifted young pianists. Sogny is also the honorary consul of the Republic of Lithuania in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. He accepted the post because he wanted to contribute to the cultural cooperation between Lithuania and Switzerland. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch or subscribe to our YouTube channel: Website: http://www.swissinfo.ch |
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