The president of the Council of States, Jean-René Fournier (PDC, VS), paid official visits to Azerbaijan, from 8 to 11 October, and to Russia from 12 to 19 October. He was received by the chairman of the Azerbaijan parliament, and by the president of Azerbaijan and his minister of foreign affairs, as well as by his Russian counterpart, Valentina Matvienko and the chairman of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin.

​At the official talks in Baku, Mr Fournier discussed Switzerland’s support for bilateral technical cooperation projects in order to help Azerbaijan to diversify its economy and to create financial framework conditions that meet international standards. Discussions also focused on Azerbaijan’s highly strategic geographical location as the central corridor of the New Silk Road between China and Europe. Azerbaijan is investing substantially in the development of its infrastructure, including the construction of the new port in Baku and the opening of the Baku – Tbilisi (Georgia) – Kars (Turkey) railway line. President Aliyev welcomed the regular contacts between the two countries and their active collaboration within the Bretton Woods Institutions, where they are members of the same voting group, and on technical cooperation projects.

During his trip, Mr Fournier visited a centre funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) that helps socially disadvantaged women to find jobs. He also visited the production sites of the Swiss companies Holcim and Sika in Baku and had the opportunity to meet with their managers to discuss on-site product manufacturing, workforce training and the market challenges and opportunities in the South Caucasus.

Mr Fournier travelled to Russia at the invitation of the president of Russia’s Federation Council, the Russian parliament’s upper house, Valentina Matvienko, following her working visit to Bern on 28 June. This official visit took place within the framework of a memorandum of intent signed in 2013 between the Council of States and the Russian Federation Council to expand cooperation between the two parliaments.

In Moscow, Mr Fournier was received by Ms Matvienko, and Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, the Russian parliament’s lower house. The state of bilateral relations, Switzerland’s protecting power mandate representing Russia’s interests in Georgia and vice-versa and the conflict in Ukraine were openly discussed during the talks.

Mr Fournier’s official visit to Russia provided an opening to pursue a wider dialogue with the presidents of the upper and lower houses of the Russian parliament, to underline Switzerland’s official position regarding the conflict in Ukraine, and to convey messages related to its protecting power mandate in relations between Russia and Georgia. Both Ms Matvienko and Mr Volodin thanked Switzerland for its role in maintaining the dialogue between Russia and Georgia.

The meeting between Mr Fournier and the governor of St Petersburg, Alexandre Beglov, led to a proposal to establish a working group between the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Swiss Consul General in St Petersburg to support Swiss companies wishing to enter the Russian market.

In Moscow, Mr Fournier also met Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the meeting, Patriarch Kirill expressed his concerns about the situation of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, since Constantinople granted the church autonomy from Moscow, creating two Orthodox churches in Ukraine.