Relationship dossier
Saudi Arabia
Switzerland
Relationship assessment
Economic agreements underpin Saudi-Swiss ties, alongside Swiss restrictions on arms exports and rights-related concerns.
Saudi Arabia toward Switzerland
+20Saudi Arabia joined Switzerland and other EFTA and GCC states in signing a free-trade agreement in 2009. The two governments also concluded a bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation, supporting practical economic ties.
Switzerland toward Saudi Arabia
+15Switzerland concluded a bilateral double-taxation agreement with Saudi Arabia and joined the 2009 GCC–EFTA free-trade agreement. Swiss arms-export policy has restricted transfers to Saudi Arabia amid concerns about the Yemen conflict and human rights.
Overall relationship
+15Bilateral economic arrangements provide a durable basis for engagement, particularly the tax agreement and the signed GCC–EFTA trade pact. Swiss arms-export restrictions and human-rights concerns complicate the relationship, leaving it practical but not a close strategic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Saudi Arabia and Switzerland maintain practical economic relations, including a bilateral double-taxation agreement and their participation in a Gulf Cooperation Council–EFTA free-trade agreement signed in 2009. Swiss arms-export policy has also constrained cooperation amid concerns about the Yemen conflict and human rights. The relationship combines economic engagement with differences over arms transfers and rights policy.
Areas of tension
- Swiss restrictions on arms exports to Saudi Arabia amid concerns about the Yemen conflict.
- Differences over human-rights policy and arms transfers.
Key developments
Saudi Arabia joined the GCC–EFTA states, including Switzerland, in signing a free-trade agreement.
Saudi Arabia and Switzerland concluded a bilateral double-taxation agreement.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and practical effects of the bilateral tax agreement are unclear.
- The status and scope of the GCC–EFTA free-trade agreement's application to Saudi-Swiss trade are uncertain.
- The extent of recent bilateral political and security cooperation is unclear.