Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hold working meeting in Geneva
Bern, 28.11.2018 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, discussed bilateral, multilateral and global issues during a working lunch in Geneva. This was the first extensive bilateral meeting between the two foreign ministers, who until now had only met on the margins of conferences.
During the working lunch, the two ministers discussed Swiss-Russian relations, the conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan and current challenges in the Council of Europe.
Switzerland and Russia maintain solid ties. In view of the continuing friction at the international level, Switzerland is committed to maintaining dialogue and pursues an impartial, even-handed policy towards Russia. Since a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation was signed by the two foreign ministries in 2007, contact between Swiss and Russian representatives has increased significantly with up to 15 meetings a year. This format makes it possible to address challenges in Swiss-Russian relations jointly.
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