In welcoming his Mongolian counterpart, Mr Burkhalter emphasised that Switzerland and Mongolia had enjoyed friendly relations for the last 48 years. Switzerland was one of Mongolia’s first non-socialist trading partners.

During the official talks, Mr Burkhalter mentioned the commitment of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Mongolia. The SDC opened a coordination office in the capital, Ulan Bator, in 2004. In the framework of Switzerland’s international cooperation 2013-2016, which has been approved by Parliament, the SDC has included Mongolia on the list of ten priority countries and regions, and will increase its annual budget for this country from CHF 13 million to some CHF 18 million. Switzerland continues to be involved in particular in the areas of the environment and natural resources, vocational training and good governance as a means to support the current political reforms which are designed to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions and its economic development.

At the multilateral level, Mr Burkhalter and Mr Bold discussed the cooperation between Switzerland and Mongolia within the United Nations institutions. They also discussed Mongolia’s candidature for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which Switzerland supports. The head of the FDFA also mentioned Switzerland’s chairmanship of the OSCE in 2014.

Also at the multilateral level, the two Foreign Ministers discussed the work of the Human Rights Council. Federal Councillor Burkhalter welcomed Mongolia’s ratification in January 2012 of the Second Additional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as an important step in the process of abolishing the death penalty. Mr Burkhalter assured Mr Bold that Switzerland would support and encourage Mongolia to abolish capital punishment in its national legislation completely.

Mongolian Foreign Minister in Bern for an official working visit