Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis meets Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev
Bern, 02.12.2025 — On 2 December 2025, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), received the Kazakh foreign minister, Yermek Kosherbayev, in Bern for an official visit. The talks centred on bilateral relations, regional cooperation in Central Asia and Switzerland's chairpersonship of the OSCE next year. The delegations also signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the Blue Peace initiative.
During the talks with his counterpart, Mr Cassis emphasised the cordial, wide-ranging relations the two countries enjoy. These are characterised by regular high-level exchanges, their membership of the same voting group in the Bretton Woods institutions, their bilateral economic relations and the regional cooperation programme.
During the visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed for the implementation of the second phase of the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative. Blue Peace Central Asia was initiated by Switzerland in 2017 and supports regional organisations and policy makers in transforming water from a potential source of tension into a catalyst for cooperation, stability and sustainable development through more equitable and efficient cross-border management. In the context of climate change, this initiative is more important than ever.
The two countries also discussed possibilities for stepping up cooperation in the field of mediation. Against this backdrop and as part of the visit, a further memorandum of understanding was signed between the Kazakh Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Kazakhstan is Switzerland's biggest trading partner in Central Asia. There is a mutual interest in further expanding bilateral economic relations. Regional developments and the war in Ukraine were also discussed.
Mr Cassis also briefed Mr Kosherbayev on the priorities for the Swiss chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2026, underscoring the importance of dialogue and cooperation in view of the current security situation in Europe. To this end, Switzerland will work to preserve and strengthen the OSCE as an inclusive platform for dialogue.