Ignazio Cassis in Central Asia for talks focusing on economy and international cooperation

After Mr Cassis' first official visit to Central Asia in July 2023, this second trip in the space of a year underscores Switzerland's robust and long-standing relations with the countries of the region, closely linked to their membership of the same Bretton Woods voting group.

From 1 to 2 July, Mr Cassis and Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter attended the meeting of the group's members, which include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting, which takes place every two years, was held for the first time in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. It provided an opportunity for the group's members to discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation, review the global geopolitical, economic and financial situation, and assess its impact on member countries. At the margins of the meeting Mr Cassis met Antonella Bassani, Vice-President of the Europe and Central Asia Region at the World Bank.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the two Swiss government representatives to meet with the Tajik president, Emomali Rahmon. Mr Cassis held talks with the Tajik foreign minister, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, during which they discussed bilateral relations, human rights, economic issues and other regional matters.

Memorandum of understanding on digitalisation
Switzerland also signed a memorandum of understanding with Tajikistan and the World Bank in the field of digitalisation. Mr Cassis emphasised that Switzerland had "taken a further step in strengthening cooperation on the provision of digital public services and in supporting the government and its people as part of this process". Swiss cooperation programmes are already playing an active role in digitalisation-related reforms in Tajikistan, for example the Civil Registry System Reform Initiative, which is overseen by the FDFA's Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Swiss National Day celebrations with the Swiss community in Kyrgyzstan
After his visit to Tajikistan, Mr Cassis travelled to Kyrgyzstan, where he met President Sadyr Japarov and Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev in the town of Cholponon-Ata on Lake Issyk-Kul. In addition to bilateral issues, they discussed regional challenges, such as the war in Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan, as well as migration, human rights and water and energy security. Mr Cassis also attended early celebrations in Bishkek to mark Swiss National Day, where he had the opportunity to meet the Swiss community and the staff of the Swiss embassy.

Water diplomacy in Central Asia
During his visits to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Mr Cassis was able to see for himself the importance of transboundary water management in the region. Switzerland has a strong commitment to this issue, particularly as part of its work on the Blue Peace project, which supports cooperation on water to ensure it is a peacebuilding tool rather than a source of conflict. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are both priority countries for Swiss development cooperation.

Further information:

Article about the visit
Bilateral relations Switzerland-Tajikistan
Bilateral relations Switzerland-Kyrgyzstan
International Cooperation Central Asia
Speech by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, on the occasion of the Swiss National Day (eng)

Address for enquiries:

FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @SwissMFA

Federal Department of Finance FDF
FDF Communications
Tel. +41 58 462 60 33, [email protected]

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research