18th-century villa in Geneva park to host Biden-Putin summit
June 10, 2021
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GENEVA (AP) Switzerland’s foreign ministry says an 18th-century manor house in the middle of a public park with lakeside views will host the summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva next week.
Geneva’s Parc de la Grange, which includes the Villa La Grange as its centerpiece structure, was shut for public access for 10 days on Tuesday by Swiss authorities, who did not specify the reason before Thursday. The ministry announced the selection of the site on its Twitter account.
Security teams have erected signs about the closure, redirected traffic and nearby parking, and put up double-fencing around the park. Garden crews have been working to spruce up the vast lawns and gardens sloping down toward Lake Geneva.
White House, Kremlin, aim for Biden-Putin summit in Geneva
MATTHEW LEE, JONATHAN LEMIRE and JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press
May 24, 2021
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1of3FILE - In this March 10, 2011 file photo, then Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia. The White House and the Kremlin are working to arrange a summit between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Switzerland in June. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is meeting with his Russian counterpart in the proposed host city of Geneva this week to finalize details. (RIA Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin/Pool via AP, file)Alexei Druzhinin/APShow MoreShow Less
Officials in Switzerland push back at Biden tax haven barb
JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press
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GENEVA (AP) Swiss authorities took issue Friday with U.S. President Joe Biden s comment that many companies use Switzerland and two British territories as tax havens, with the Swiss Federal Department of Finance calling such claims “inappropriate and completely out of date.”
Arguing that rich Americans and corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes, Biden said in a speech to Congress on Wednesday that “a lot of companies also evade taxes through tax havens in Switzerland and Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.”
Switzerland long had a reputation as a haven for tax dodgers to squirrel away their money to avoid fiscal authorities abroad. But Swiss authorities have been at pains to try to change the country’s image.