Another round of political consultations held between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation

On 7 February, another round of political consultations was held between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation.

From the Georgian side, the director of the political department, David Kereselidze led the consultations, from the Swiss side, the head of the Eurasian department of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Muriel Peneveyre.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the regular nature of the consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries and the importance of the mentioned format. The heads of the delegations welcomed the growing dynamics of bilateral relations and the exchange of high-level visits, including the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia to Switzerland.

Within the framework of the consultations, representatives of the delegations discussed current issues on the bilateral and multilateral agenda. The active dynamics of bilateral economic relations were noted with satisfaction and the importance of using the existing potential was emphasized. Also, special attention was paid to cooperation with the Swiss Development Agency (SDC) and ongoing projects in various fields (vocational education, environmental protection and sustainable development, agriculture, etc.).

During the meeting, discussions were focused on the security and humanitarian situation in the occupied regions. In the process of peaceful resolution of the conflict, the need for Russia to fulfill the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement on 12 August 2008. Also, the importance of the return of internally displaced persons and refugees was mentioned. Attention was focused on the need to make progress on the Geneva international discussions.

The Georgian side thanked the Swiss side for its support for the peaceful settlement of the Russian-Georgian conflict, including its important contribution to reconciliation and trust-building. 

The sides also paid attention to the progress made on Georgia's EU path and welcomed the historic decision of the European Council on 14 December 2023 to grant Georgia a candidate status. The sides exchanged opinions about the potential of Georgia as a regional hub. In this context, the focus was on promoting Black Sea connectivity in the areas of energy, transport and digital.

In parallel to bilateral and multilateral cooperation, the sides discussed the current situation and security challenges facing the region, and a positive assessment was given to Georgia's efforts to promote regional peace, stability and confidence building, within the framework of the peaceful neighborhood policy.

At the end of the meeting, the sides once again confirmed their readiness to promote the further strengthening of relations between Georgia and Switzerland.