5 to 10 September 2016

From 5 to 10 September, the President of the National Council, Christa Markwalder (FDP/BE), visited Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova at the invitation of her counterparts in the three countries.

During a two-day visit to the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Ms Markwalder held talks with the parliamentary chairman, David Usupashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and foreign minister Mikheil Janelidze. She also met with other members of the Georgian parliament and representatives of the Georgian-Swiss parliamentary friendship group, as well as with Georgian students. Discussions focused on bilateral relations and the free trade agreement between the European Free Trade (EFTA) and Georgia, which was signed on 27 June 2016 at the EFTA ministerial meeting in Bern. In political terms, since 2009 Switzerland has raised its profile in Georgia, not least by taking responsibility for Russian interests in Tbilisi (and likewise for Georgian interests in Moscow) in March 2009. Diplomatic relations between Tbilisi and Moscow were broken off in August 2008 when the regions of Abkhasia and South Ossetia, which lie on the border between Georgia and Russia, declared their independence and were recognised by Russia.

The visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev began on the evening of 6 September with a showing of the film ‘Mais im Bundeshaus’, followed by a panel discussion involving the President of the National Council and members of the Ukrainian parliament. On the following days, talks were held with the parliamentary chairman, Andry Parubiy, President Petro Poroshenko and with Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. The programme also included meetings with other members of parliament and with Swiss companies operating in Ukraine. As well as bilateral relations, discussions covered the Ukraine’s difficult relationship with Russia, the crisis in the Crimea and the problematic situation in the Donets Basin (Donbass). For several years, Switzerland has been committed to finding a solution to this crisis and has made a substantial contribution towards providing humanitarian support in the crisis regions. As a third party, Switzerland was the first (and so far the only) state to send humanitarian convoys over the line of contact to Donetsk.

On 9 September, Ms Markwalder was the guest of honour and keynote speaker at a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Moldova in the capital, Chişinău. In addition to attending the celebrations, she held bilateral talks the parliamentary speaker Andrian Candu, Prime Minister Pavel Filip and with other members of the Moldovan parliament. As in Georgia and Ukraine, Switzerland is also active in providing development aid in Moldova. It is the fourth largest partner in the country and invests around CHF 13 million each year in projects in key areas such as drinking water supply, health and migration.