Guillaume Scheurer, Switzerland’s deputy chief of mission and head of political and legal affairs, addressed students and Charlottesville residents at U. Virginia last night to discuss the intermediary role Switzerland plays in foreign relations between the United States and Iran.

“We [have been the] … ears and eyes of Iran to the U.S. for the last 31 years,” Scheurer said.

Although Switzerland is politically neutral, it has represented  U.S. interests in Tehran since 1980.

“Today, Iran has 14 neighbors, and no friends,” Scheurer said. “By looking at the neighbors, we see that they are difficult neighbors because they’re not democratic all the time. My assessment [of Iran] is that … after the Arab Spring, it is even more isolated.”

This isolation can pose a threat to scientific development. Iran has been responsible for significant advances in technology, some of which are used for good, but sometimes they can be used for the “not-so-good,” Scheurer said.

In addition, the nation’s young population — whose average age is below 30 — has been faced with recent economic instability.

“With a growing population, there are growing problems. Unemployment is really high … especially in the younger generations,” Scheurer said. “Unemployment is sky-rocketing … forcing a lot of people in younger generations to emigrate.”

The younger generations typically emigrate to the United States, Europe and Australia in search of jobs and more opportunities. The fact that most are willing to emigrate to the United States suggests that the Iranian people are pro-American, despite what their government leads the world to believe, Scheurer said.

“There is an interesting contrast between the government, which is very anti-American, and the people, who are very pro-American,” he said.

In an effort to mend relations between the Iranian and U.S. governments, the Swiss Protecting Power Mandate was enacted through an agreement between the United States and Switzerland. The mandate allows both the United States and Iranian governments to communicate with one another through Switzerland.

Essentially, all questions and answers from both Iran and the United States go through Switzerland, Scheurer said. “It’s not always easy because we also have to be Switzerland,” he said. “To be seen as neutral, we cannot always please both sides.”

The event was part of the Ambassadors’ Speaker’s Forum and was sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Programs and the Center for International Studies.