Shortly before the delicate meeting in Washington, the Minister of the Economy Guy Parmelin was photographed with a clearly visible note. But what does it contain?
Not time? Blue News sums up for you
- During the visit of the Swiss delegation to Washington, Guy Parmelin was photographed with a partially readable note.
- We read there in large letters: “Thank You”.
- This mention may seem commonplace – but it is actually a diplomatic reflex acquired by experience.
A few minutes before the tense meeting with American Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, Guy Parmelin was holding a simple white shirt in his hand. A photographer from the AFP news agency supported the trigger at the right time – revealing the world of the memo of the Swiss Minister of Economy.
Blue News analyzed the guest thought. We cannot read much, but one thing is clear: in the first paragraph, we clearly distinguish the formula “Thank You For Your …”, or “Thank you for your …” in French. There are also words like “a great opportunity and responsibility”. According to the “Blick”, there is also a question of “a great responsibility in the coming weeks”.
AFP
What may first seem to be a simple unimportant introduction is, to look more closely, to be a skilful diplomatic maneuver – or at least a well -intentioned precaution. Anyone who negotiates in English knows it: the tone makes all the difference. And starting with thanks can have a big impact.
The “Thank-You-Moment” as a lesson in history
The fact that the absence of thanks is not well perceived in Washington is well known in diplomatic circles – and has even marked history. During the first meeting of Volodimir Selenskyj with Donald Trump at the White House, the Ukrainian president did not thanked him from the start of the interview – Trump was publicly offended and then spoke of lack of esteem.
It is not known if other conversation notes, figures or formulations were on the piece of paper. The high resolution version of the photo has not been published – but the image has circulated a lot via WhatsApp among journalists from the Federal Palace. The editors have tried together to decipher the other lines – without success so far.