During her official visit to Georgia, Ms Carobbio Guscetti will be received by her counterpart, Archil Talakvadze, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia. The agenda also includes meetings with President Salome Zourabishvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani.
The meetings will focus on bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations, Switzerland’s development policy engagement in the South Caucasus, and Switzerland’s intermediary role in relations with Russia.
As part of its good offices, Switzerland has held a protecting power mandate between Georgia and Russia for ten years. Since diplomatic relations between Tbilisi and Moscow were severed, Switzerland has promoted cooperation and exchange on concrete and practical issues of importance for the citizens of both countries. In addition, Switzerland regularly acts as a broker in dealings between Georgia and Russia, for example in the implementation of an agreement designed to ensure the smooth handling of trade in goods between the two countries. The exercise of its good offices places Switzerland in a special position with Georgia.
Ms Carobbio Guscetti’s programme in Georgia also includes visits to projects of the Swiss cooperation programme in the South Caucasus. In Georgia, Swiss development cooperation is strongly committed to improving productivity, competitiveness and training for small-scale farmers. It also supports the decentralisation efforts of the Georgian government.
The visit will also focus on Switzerland’s peace policy engagement in Georgia, which specifically involves promoting dialogue, dealing with the past, integrating ethnic minorities and strengthening democratic structures.
The opening of the new Swiss Embassy building in Tbilisi in October brings together the various Swiss players under one roof, thereby strengthening synergies between the various activities carried out by Switzerland in Georgia (diplomatic and consular work, development cooperation, human security) by pursuing an integrated approach.
The regular exchanges between the two parliaments are testament to the close relations between Switzerland and Georgia. In September 2018 the former president of the National Council, Dominique de Buman (CVP, FR), officially received Irakli Kobakhidze, the former speaker of the parliament of Georgia (see link), in Bern, following a visit to Tbilisi in 2016 by Christa Markwalder (FDP, BE), who was president of the National Council at the time (see link).
The delegation travelling with Ms Carobbio Guscetti to Georgia will consist of the first vice president of the National Council, Isabelle Moret (PLR, VD), the second vice president of the National Council, Heinz Brand (SVP, GR), the Secretary General of the Federal Assembly, Philippe Schwab, and the deputy head of the International Relations and Multilingualism Division, Joachim Tomaschett.