The visit by the speaker of the Georgian parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze, follows the visit to Tbilisi in September 2016 by Christa Markwalder (FDP, BE), who was National Council president at the time (see link).
National Council president Dominique de Buman and his Georgian counterpart focused their talks on the quality of exchange and relations between the two countries; these are becoming increasingly important in the economic field in particular. There is regular and fruitful exchange between the two parliaments, and the meeting provided an opportunity to underline Switzerland’s commitment to supporting economic reform and helping the Caucasian state to integrate into the structures of economic cooperation on the European continent and in the world as a whole. The free-trade agreement signed between the EFTA states and Georgia, which came into force for Switzerland this year, is one example of this.
The Georgian delegation underscored the importance of relations at parliamentary level, both bilateral and multilateral, expressing the desire to intensify and develop exchanges with Switzerland on several levels.
The official visit also provided an occasion to address the question of Switzerland’s mediating role in relations with Russia, and our country’s commitment to development cooperation in the South Caucasus. Education, research and innovation, and peace promotion were also discussed, the latter being central to Switzerland’s activities in the region.
During his stay in Bern Mr Kobakhidze also met Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Secretaries of State Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch and Mauro Dell'Ambrogio, and a delegation from the State Secretariat for Migration.