OSCE mediation in the South Caucasus and bilateral themes: the President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, to travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia
Bern, 29.05.2014 - From 2 to 4 June 2014, Didier Burkhalter, Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and President of the Swiss Confederation, will hold political talks in three countries in the South Caucasus. The region is a priority of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in 2014 because of a number of long-standing conflicts involving these countries. Besides issues related to the OSCE, in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia Mr Burkhalter will also discuss bilateral matters.
Together with the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus is one of the two regional priority areas which Switzerland has defined for its chairmanship of the OSCE in 2014 because of various long-standing conflicts in the region, namely the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the conflict in Georgia. Switzerland is working to promote dialogue between the conflicting parties within the framework of its chairmanship.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh led to a war in the early 1990s. Since an armistice was signed in 1994, the OSCE Minsk Group has been working under the joint leadership of Russia, France and the United States to find a peaceful solution. Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk (Poland) supports the co-mediators in this process as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
Mr Burkhalter's first stop will be in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on 2 June 2014. On 3 June, Mr Burkhalter will hold discussions in Georgia about the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The OSCE is mediating this conflict in conjunction with the EU and the UN within the framework of the Geneva Talks. The Swiss OSCE Chairmanship is represented in these talks by the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Southern Caucasus, Ambassador Angelo Gnädinger. Mr Burkhalter's trip will end on 4 June with a visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan.
Bilateral themes
Besides OSCE themes, Mr Burkhalter's talks in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia will also focus on bilateral matters. On 2 June, Mr Burkhalter will meet in Baku with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ogtay Asadov, as well as with representatives of the opposition.
On 3 June, Mr Burkhalter will hold talks in the Georgian capital Tbilisi with President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, and Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze. He will also meet members of the governing party and the parliamentary opposition and discuss prospects for the future with young Georgians. In Georgia he will also be visiting a project by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) which is providing support to families affected by the conflict.
On 4 June, Mr Burkhalter will meet in Yerevan with the Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan, and will also hold talks with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan and National Assembly President Galust Sahakyan, as well as with representatives of the opposition.
As part of its international cooperation efforts, Switzerland supports the economic, political and social transformation processes in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Specifically, Switzerland supports projects in the areas of economic development and employment promotion (e.g. support for the value chains of livestock, vegetable and/or fruit smallholders, and vocational education and training in the agriculture sectors), good governance and public services (e.g. community development, prevention of natural disasters) and human security and protection (protection of vulnerable persons and those affected by the conflict). The cooperation strategy for the South Caucasus in 2013 has earmarked financial contributions totalling CHF 111 million for this period.
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