OSCE conference on the protection of human rights defenders

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 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (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.

2 June 2014 – Azerbaijan

Mr Burkhalter met 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.

The talks in Baku focused on the situation in Ukraine and on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan concerning Nagorno-Karabakh. President Burkhalter proposed to hold a meeting between the presidents of the two countries marking the start of a structured negotiation process for a peace agreement. At the same time, he appealed for strict compliance with the 1994 ceasefire.

Press release, 2 June 2014

3 June 2014 – Georgia

On the second day of his visit to the South Caucasus, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, met Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, and members of the Georgian parliament in Tbilisi. The main topic of their discussions was the conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. At the administrative boundary line at Ergneti, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office visited members of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, whose mediation work he praised as an example of pragmatic solutions to cross-boundary issues.

President Burkhalter signed two bilateral agreements with Georgia. He also visited a project by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) which is providing support to families affected by the conflict.

Press release, 3 June 2014

4 June 2014 – Armenia

In the Armenian capital Yerevan, the third and final stage of his trip to the South Caucasus, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, met with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan. The central issue on the agenda was the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. As the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Mr Burkhalter expressed his support for a meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan which could form the beginning of a structured negotiation process for a peace agreement, and he called for the strict observance of the 1994 ceasefire.

At the bilateral level, Mr Burkhalter signed a memorandum of understanding with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan on cooperation between the foreign ministries of their two countries.

Press release, 4.6.2014

Further information