(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Azernews' exclusive interview with Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to Azerbaijan and
Turkmenistan Muriel Peneveyre.
In 2022, Azerbaijan and Switzerland are marking the 30th
anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. In an interview
with Azernews, the Ambassador upbeat about the current state and
the development of diplomatic relations between the two
countries.
- Ambassador, could you please tell us about the history
of the Swiss-Azerbaijani relations? When did Switzerland and
Azerbaijan open embassies? What is your assessment of the current
state of the Azerbaijani-Swiss relations?
Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the Republic of
Azerbaijan were established on 21 January 1992 and the Swiss
Embassy in Baku opened in 2008. In addition to the 30th
anniversary of diplomatic relations, 2022 also marks the
30th anniversary of our joint constituencies at the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
This year, we have already had a high-level visit: The Speaker
of Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mrs Sahiba Gafarova,
made an official visit to Bern on 9-11 May 2022.
The bilateral relations between Switzerland and Azerbaijan are
very good and cover a wide range of areas: political and economic,
but also related to people-to-people exchanges, such as in sports
and culture. Moreover, Switzerland's international cooperation has
been active in Azerbaijan for more than 20 years. The new Swiss
Cooperation Programme for the South Caucasus region 2022-2025 was
launched in December 2021.
- A meeting of the Azerbaijani-Swiss intergovernmental
commission is planned to be held in Baku this year. What issues are
expected to be discussed? Are there any plans to sign new
cooperation accords and, in general, does Switzerland have plans to
expand cooperation with Azerbaijan (if yes, in which
sectors)?
There are various formats in which bilateral relations between
Switzerland and Azerbaijan are discussed:
On 3 June 2022, a new round of political consultations between
both Ministries of Foreign Affairs took place in Bern, where a wide
range of bilateral and international topics were discussed. On this
occasion, an agreement on remunerated labour activities by
accompanying persons of members of diplomatic missions was
signed.
Economic questions are discussed at meetings of the Joint
Economic and Trade Commission between the Ministries of Economy.
The latest meeting of this Commission was held in Bern in 2019,
before the pandemic, and we are currently looking for a suitable
date for the next meeting in Baku. Such meetings always provide a
good opportunity to get a full picture of relations and discuss
their further development.
- What can you say about economic cooperation between
the two countries? (Mutual investment/trade turnover/SOCAR's
operations in Switzerland/etc)
The bilateral trade volume between Switzerland and Azerbaijan is
good, it amounted to CHF 261 million in 2021, which is higher than
in 2020. The next meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade
Commission will certainly allow discussing ways to further increase
these exchanges.
In addition to trade, there are Swiss investments in Azerbaijan,
and Azerbaijani investments in Switzerland, which are mutually
beneficial. In Azerbaijan, large investments have been made by
Swiss companies in the non-oil sector, thus contributing to the
diversification of the economy.
- What are, in your view, major projects Switzerland has
implemented in Azerbaijan, and are you happy about their outcome?
Are there any projects underway or in the pipeline
currently?
In 2019, we celebrated 20 years of engagement of Switzerland's
international cooperation in Azerbaijan.
In recent years, projects financed by Switzerland have mainly
focused on economic development, in particular strengthening public
finance management and further improving the business environment.
For example, one project provided technical assistance for the
development of a medium-term public debt management strategy.
Switzerland worked with Azerbaijani banks in order to develop
credit assessment tools to improve risk rating and credit quality
in agriculture finance. This allows in particular SMEs and the
agricultural sector to have more inclusive access to finance and
invest better and more easily into their businesses to grow.
Switzerland stands ready to finance further projects that
facilitate access to finance for agricultural companies.
Discussions are currently underway with relevant governmental
organisations in Azerbaijan.
In addition, Switzerland is very committed to women's economic
empowerment. We financially support three Women Resource Centers,
two of which (in Qusar and Baku-Khazar) were even established
through Swiss financing. An additional one will be established in
Horadiz. These Women Resource Centers provide training and seed
capital to women to support them in finding formal employment or
starting their own businesses. This was the case for more than 180
women in the recent past.
- Does the Swiss government or private sector have plans
to get involved in the Karabakh restoration process?
In December 2021, the new Swiss Cooperation Programme for the
South Caucasus Region 2022-2025 was launched. As mentioned above,
in Azerbaijan, Switzerland's international cooperation focuses on
projects in the field of economic development. Such projects are
financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
and are implemented in cooperation with Azerbaijani ministries.
They are not geographically limited to specific regions but benefit
the entire country.
Regarding private companies, the decision of Swiss private
companies to make investments or to enter into business
relationships is a matter for the companies themselves, in which
the Swiss government has no legal competence to interfere. In the
case of tenders open to Swiss companies, the latter certainly have
reliable technical solutions, high-value-added products, and
in-depth expertise to offer, for example in areas such as
infrastructure and transport, construction, engineering, and
cleantech.
- As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and
Switzerland, have your embassy any plans to mark the
date?
The 30th anniversary will be the focus of the
official National Day reception which the Embassy will organize in
September. As you may know, the Swiss National Day is on 1 August,
but this year, another important event for the Embassy's work will
take place on this date: the move of our offices to new premises. I
am delighted that this year, which marks the 30th anniversary of
bilateral relations, the Embassy in Baku will be able to move into
modern, visitor-friendly premises with up-to-date technology.
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