During his official meeting with Mr Andreichenko, Mr de Buman emphasised the clear interest of both countries in boosting their economic relations. Since 2010, economic exchanges between Switzerland and Belarus have intensified: around thirty Swiss companies are currently represented in Belarus. The volume of bilateral trade with Switzerland reached CHF 124 million in 2016. Switzerland is currently the 13th largest investor in Belarus.
The Belarussian delegation, composed of several members of parliament, also met with members of the Switzerland-Belarus Parliamentary Friendship Group and of the delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), including Council of States member Filippo Lombardi (CVP/TI), National Council member Margret Kiener Nellen (PS/BE), president of the OSCE PA delegation, as well as National Council members Andreas Aebi (SVP/BE) and Hugues Hiltpold (FDP/GE). Following the meeting, the members of the friendship group signed a memorandum on enhancing inter-parliamentary cooperation.
During the official visit, the Belarussian delegation had the opportunity to meet the State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, and also paid a courtesy visit to the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Ignazio Cassis.
On an international level, Switzerland and Belarus actively support the OSCE’s efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine. The Republic of Belarus played a key role in the mediation process between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union, which led to the signing of the Minsk agreements in September 2014, aimed at achieving a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
Switzerland and the Republic of Belarus have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992. In July 2007, Switzerland opened an embassy office in Minsk which is attached to the Swiss Embassy in Warsaw.