Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on special assignments, has paid a working visit to the Swiss Confederation, APA reports.
As part of the visit, he held meetings in Bern with Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Gabriel Lüchinger, National Security Adviser, Claudio Fischer, Head of the International Relations Secretariat of Parliament, and senior representatives of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).
The meetings discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Azerbaijan-Switzerland relations, the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, regional security and transport connectivity, as well as opportunities for cooperation in humanitarian demining.
During the meeting with State Secretary Alexandre Fasel, the sides noted the impetus given to the development of cooperation between the two countries by recent high-level reciprocal visits, as well as by the meeting of the Joint Economic Commission held in Bern last month. The sides exchanged views on expanding ties in industry, green energy, digital technologies, innovation, agriculture and tourism, and on encouraging more active participation by Swiss companies in Azerbaijan, including in restoration and reconstruction projects being implemented in the liberated territories. They also considered opportunities to mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027 and to continue high-level political dialogue.
Elchin Amirbayov informed the other side about the current stage of the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the practical results achieved. The importance of strengthening mutual trust, developing economic and trade relations, as well as contacts between civil societies in delivering the benefits of peace to the populations of both countries was emphasized. The Azerbaijani side’s position on the steps it considers necessary to ensure lasting peace and sign the peace agreement was conveyed to the other side. It was noted that eliminating the existing legal inconsistency between the provisions of the peace agreement and Armenia’s current Constitution is necessary and inevitable in terms of ensuring the irreversibility of the peace process and the sustainability of the de facto peace that has now been established.
In the context of regional connectivity, the development of the Middle Corridor, the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor, which will ensure the restoration of transport links between Azerbaijan’s mainland and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as the TRIPP project as its integral part, and their potential contribution to expanding regional cooperation and strengthening peace were discussed.
During the meeting with Switzerland’s National Security Adviser Gabriel Lüchinger, the sides exchanged views on possible peaceful solutions to the ongoing military conflicts in the Eurasian region.
They also discussed expanding security contacts between Azerbaijan and Switzerland, including in the areas of cybersecurity, hybrid threats and other issues of mutual interest.
At the meeting with Claudio Fischer, Head of the Parliamentary Secretariat, Elchin Amirbayov particularly emphasized the contribution that intensifying interparliamentary contacts and organizing reciprocal visits could make to the development of relations between the peoples of the two countries.
During the visit, information was provided about the humanitarian threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance in Azerbaijan and their negative impact on the safe return of former internally displaced persons and on reconstruction and restoration work. The Swiss side said it was ready to consider opportunities to provide support in the field of humanitarian demining, including possible projects through the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
At a meeting held at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, the sides considered opportunities to continue cooperation between the institution and higher education institutions and think tanks in Azerbaijan on research and training programmes of mutual interest.
As part of the visit, the Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments also gave an interview to the prominent Swiss weekly publication Die Weltwoche.
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