Foreword Every day and with great commitment, we represent the interests of Liechtenstein citizens. Foreign policy is policy for our country’s citizens. Foreign policy is the representation of Liech­ten­stein’s interests abroad, embedded in the most basic goal of safeguarding our sovereignty and independence within secure borders. The question of sovereignty is still a current one, even though we increasingly have to deal with questions like the following: How do we gain as much freedom of action as possible? How do we express ourselves on the global stage so that our voice is heard? How do we gain respect and convey an image of Liechtenstein that corresponds to how we want to be perceived? For a country of Liechtenstein’s size, questions like these arise much more urgently than for larger countries. Our resources available for foreign policy – which after all are modest compared with those of other countries – are both a challenge and a motivation. At the same time, we must always review our use of resources, especially in times of tight budgets. We must take advantage of any leeway for setting medium-term priorities, and we must always review whether tasks and obligations planned for the long term continue to make sense. It is therefore a key priority for us to employ our resources both as sensibly and as effectively as possible. It goes without saying that we always face the challenge of being considered equal partners at the international level. But to represent our interests, this equal treatment and respect are indispensable. My approach for achieving this goal is to position Liechtenstein as a reliable and committed partner showing solidarity in Europe and the world. The guidelines of our foreign policy Reliability, solidarity, active commitment – these are the values and guidelines we pursue in our foreign policy. We are a committed partner using the resources available to us, our knowledge, and our competences. We are strongly committed to individual aspects of world policy and are able to achieve something in these areas even as a small country. This clear focus is important in order to develop an independent and visible profile. Only in this way can we create added value for the international community and gain respect and freedom of action. We place a particular emphasis on areas where we have developed special competence and are able to act as a credible and reliable partner. We are also an international partner showing solidarity, able to make a difference in concrete situations and for people who probably have never even heard of Liechten­ stein before. Solidarity is not only a commitment, but also an expression of our basic attitude in Liechtenstein.