The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region was the main item of the political discussions that the President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, conducted in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, on the first leg of his trip to the South Caucasus. The dispute led to a war at the beginning of the 1990s which ended with a ceasefire agreement. Since then, the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is co-chaired by Russia, the United States and France, has been seeking a peace settlement. Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk (Poland) supports the three co-mediators in this process in his capacity as Personal Representative of the OSCE’s Swiss Chairperson-in-Office.
In his talks with President Ilham Aliyev, Elmar Mammadyarov, the foreign minister, and Ogtay Asadov, the parliamentary speaker, as well as with representatives of the opposition and civil society, President Burkhalter called for a commitment on all sides to find a solution, saying in his capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in Office “We must progress step by step towards peace. Specifically, he advocated a new meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia that would mark the starting point of a structured negotiating process on a peace agreement. In addition, he appealed for the consistent implementation of the measures to ensure compliance with the 1994 ceasefire. In spite of the ceasefire, numerous violent incidents continue to flare up on the ceasefire line and at the border still today. “Violent incidents 20 years after the ceasefire are unacceptable to the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship,” President Burkhalter categorically stated. He stressed that the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship was ready and willing to support both sides in their commitment, if desired.
Furthermore, he spoke out in favour of intensified direct contacts between representatives of civil society in both countries as a way to reduce prejudices and promote mutual trust. He also expressed his concern about repressive actions against individuals working for a rapprochement between the two countries.
Diverse bilateral relations
In addition to questions concerning the work of the OSCE, President Burkhalter also discussed bilateral issues with his counterparts in Baku.
The energy sector and cooperation in the international financial institutions are important pillars of relations between Switzerland and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan belongs to the Swiss voting group in the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility.
Trade relations between the two countries reached approximately CHF 400 million in 2013 and showed an increasing trend in the first quarter of 2014, not least owing to the trade in precious stones and metals as well as pharmaceuticals and machinery. Switzerland supports the South Caucasus within the framework of the regional cooperation strategy for the South Caucasus, including a number of projects in Azerbaijan on enhancing the framework conditions in the private sector, improving water supplies and assisting internally displaced persons. Switzerland has earmarked approximately CHF 29 million for these projects for the period from 2013 to 2016.
