The president of the National Council, Dominique de Buman, will receive his counterpart from Burkina Faso in Bern today who is attending the 138th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (24-28 March) along with other Burkinabe deputies. The meeting follows an official visit to Bern last March by the former president of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, feu Salifou Diallo.
Switzerland is very involved in Burkina Faso and maintains very close diplomatic relations with the country. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has been present in the country for over 40 years. It funds projects on basic education, vocational training, rural development, food security and good governance.
On Tuesday, 27 March, Mr de Buman will welcome Ivan Brajovic and his delegation for the first official meeting between a president of the Montenegrin parliament and his Swiss counterpart. Montenegro, like Switzerland, is represented in the parliamentary assemblies of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Switzerland attaches great importance to stability in South-eastern Europe and therefore appreciates the positive role played by Montenegro in that respect. Bilateral relations between Switzerland and Montenegro are wide ranging and covered by bilateral agreements in a range of fields of mutual interest: trade and cooperation, double taxation, investment protection and promotion.