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Ulviyya Poladova

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A meeting was held between Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Ignazio Cassis, the Federal Councillor, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, AzerNEWS reports.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry announced the meeting in a post on the social media platform X.

The Ministers discussed the Azerbaijan-Switzerland bilateral agenda, the priorities of Switzerland's Chairpersonship of the OSCE, the current state and future prospects of Azerbaijan-OSCE cooperation, as well as the post-conflict situation in the region and the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process.

The parties noted that next year Azerbaijan and Switzerland will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, describing this important milestone as an opportunity to reflect on the partnership developed over the past three and a half decades.

The sides emphasized the importance of maintaining high-level contacts and regular political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. In this regard, they underlined the significance of the latest round of political consultations held in Baku in April this year and highlighted the importance of continuing this mechanism on a regular basis.

Discussions focused on expanding economic cooperation, including through the activities of the Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation.

The role of the energy sector as one of the key pillars of bilateral economic relations was highlighted. In this regard, the successful operations of SOCAR Energy in Switzerland were stressed as an important example of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Ministers also underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in the fields of culture, education, and science to further strengthen people-to-people ties.

Particular attention was paid to Switzerland's priorities as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE. Azerbaijan welcomed the Chairpersonship's focus on science and diplomacy, innovative technologies, water resource management, energy security, and digital security, stressing the importance of these areas in addressing contemporary challenges.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that, against the backdrop of the increasingly complex security environment across the OSCE region, the Organization should make full use of its comprehensive security concept and broad geographical membership in order to preserve its relevance and role in addressing regional security issues. He reaffirmed Azerbaijan's support for effective multilateralism based on the principles of the sovereign equality of participating States, mutual respect, inclusive dialogue, and consensus.

Addressing the Armenia–Azerbaijan normalization process, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov informed his counterpart about the current stage of the peace process, the de facto peace established between the two countries, and the confidence-building measures undertaken. He emphasized that the progress achieved through the bilateral format once again demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach.

Regarding cooperation with the OSCE, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov reaffirmed Azerbaijan's readiness to continue practical cooperation with the Organization in areas of mutual interest where the OSCE possesses relevant expertise and can provide added value.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also drew attention to the large-scale contamination of Azerbaijan's territories with landmines and other explosive remnants of war, describing it as one of the country's most pressing humanitarian challenges. He underlined the importance of practical support from the OSCE, within its mandate and capabilities, in addressing this issue.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on the situation surrounding Ukraine, developments in the Middle East, and other regional and international security issues.