Text and photos: Juan David Latorre
Hanspeter Mock, Swiss ambassador to Spain and Andorra, hosted a reception at his residence last week to celebrate Swiss National Day and also to bid farewell to colleagues and friends after five years at the helm of this Diplomatic Mission.
First of all, the Swiss ambassador wished to thank his wife and children for the support he has received “at all times,” and also “my fantastic team at the Embassy. I also thank Spain, its Head of State, His Majesty King Felipe VI, and all the authorities who have always listened to me and supported me throughout my tenure. Obviously, this gratitude also goes to the Andorran authorities, with whom I have always maintained an excellent relationship.”
After thanking the “large number” of those attending the reception, Hanspeter Mock noted, in a nostalgic and humorous tone, that “the usual thing, under such circumstances, would be for me to review my five years at the helm of the Embassy, but I don’t feel like it. And I don’t feel like it for two main reasons. First, because I don’t want to exhaust your patience on such a hot day, knowing that the buffet will be opening afterward. And also because I realized that doing such a review would mean telling you that since I arrived, we have had to face a pandemic, Storm Filomena, a serious volcanic eruption, early general elections, the disaster in Valencia, and, most recently, a blackout of historic proportions. I confess that I have come to think that when I leave, perhaps this country will regain a certain calm and normalcy. So, on this occasion, I only want to express my gratitude and offer three short messages.”
“The first,” the Swiss ambassador emphasized, “is as sad, unfortunately repetitive, as it is, at least I believe, necessary. Because in this world plagued by wars and unspeakable suffering, it is more imperative than ever to tirelessly raise our voices to demand full and unconditional respect for human rights in general and international humanitarian law in particular. As many of you know, my country is the depository of the Geneva Conventions on International Humanitarian Law. And as such, it cannot fail to firmly recall that States, and that is virtually all of them, have committed themselves not only to respect, but also to ensure respect for, the basic rules of humanity under IHL.”
“This is not an option; it’s a legal obligation. Because even wars have limits, and because the bombing or destruction of populations, hospitals, schools, the indiscriminate violation of the civilian population, particularly children, whether in Ukraine, Sudan, or anywhere else in the world, are war crimes and are punishable. And what can we say about Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is a disgrace to all of humanity?” asserted Hanspeter Mock.
The second message conveyed by the Swiss ambassador concerned the promotion of gender equality through sport, referring to the European Women’s Football Championship, which will be held in Switzerland until the 27th of this month. “For us, more than a sporting competition, it is an instrument for promoting this equality.” And as the president of the Swiss Confederation pointed out, “even if you lose, you win, because you have more time to enjoy the treasures of the host country.”
The last of the ambassador’s three messages referred to “the future of our humanity. I am referring to girls and boys.” The reception included clowns dressed as doctors, “who provided a bit of a distraction while waiting in line to enter. They are the Smile Doctors, from the Teodora Foundation of Swiss Origin, which is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary in Spain this year. They are present in some 68 hospitals across the country, bringing light and hope to sick children.”
The ambassador especially thanked the Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, for his presence, as well as the Mayor of Alcobendas, home to the Swiss School of Madrid, Rocío García Alcántara, and the former Minister and President of the Senate, Pilar Llop.
He also thanked the Director General for European Countries of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ainhoa Fábrega Larrucea, for her attendance and took the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to María Sonsoles Díaz Hernández, the new Swiss Consul in Málaga, who has just assumed her duties. In closing, Hanspeter Mock noted that “it is impossible for me not to feel emotional on this last national holiday as ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra. So, out of prudence, I will be very brief, and I will simply use a well-known phrase that I recently heard from the great player Real Madrid fan Luka Modric, and which I think is perfectly appropriate under the circumstances. ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.'”
After a toast followed by all those present, absorbed by the ambassador’s words and his profound feelings, the final surprise awaited, in which Hanspeter Mock, his son Mateo, both on guitar, and guest musician Johannes Fuchs, playing the traditional Swiss hackbrett instrument, delighted the guests with a performance of the famous musical piece La Llorona.
