Швейцарская Конфедерация
About negotiations of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with the Head of the Federal Department (Minister) of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Didier Burkhalter
PRESS RELEASE
On 12 April 2013 within the framework of his working visit to Switzerland Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov conducted negotiations with the Head of the Federal Department (Minister) of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter.
The course of mutual work concerning the implementation of agreements reached in the recent years within the framework of bilateral contacts at the summit level was analyzed in detail. The Ministers stated a significant progress in the development of Russia-Switzerland relations, an incremental extension of cooperation in trade, economic, investment, humanitarian and other spheres, high intensity of the political dialog. In light of 200 years of setting diplomatic relations between Russia and Switzerland that will be celebrated in 2014, it was agreed to prepare and conduct a range of cultural and historical events next year. The course of the work on the improvement of the contractual and legal framework of the bilateral agreements was reviewed. The Russian party confirmed the valuable role of the representation of Russia's interests in Georgia by Switzerland.
In the international block of issues, the ministers discussed the state of affairs in OSCE, including from the point of view of the forthcoming presidency of Switzerland in the Organization in 2014. Within the framework of the exchange of opinions about topical problems of the world policy, a priority attention was dedicated to the issues of European security, the activity of the Group of Twenty, taking into account Russia's presidency, the situation in Syria, on the Middle East, around Afghanistan, the settlement of a range of other regional conflicts.
12 April 2013