Switzerland mourns 'visionary and friend' Kofi Annan

As tributes flooded in from around the world today for former UN chief Kofi Annan, Switzerland mourned a "visionary" who helped bolster his adopted home's position as an international diplomatic hub.

The Ghanaian national and Nobel peace laureate, who died yesterday at the age of 80, has been widely credited with raising the profile of the United Nations during his two terms as secretary-general from 1997 to 2006.

In Switzerland, where he settled after completing his second term, Annan is meanwhile widely remembered for his many deep friendships and for his contributions to securing the status of the country and especially of Geneva as a centre for world diplomacy.

"Kofi Annan was a visionary and a great friend of Switzerland," Swiss President Alain Berset tweeted out shortly after the announcement yesterday.

"Today, International Geneva has lost one of its most ardent advocates," he added.

The head of the UN's European headquarters in Geneva, Michael Moller, meanwhile lamented that "humanity has lost its strong moral voice, and I lost my mentor, my role model and great friend."