Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev paid an official visit to Bern at the invitation of Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis, DKNews.kz reports.
During the talks, the heads of the foreign ministries noted friendly and trusting nature of bilateral relations, characterized by a high level of political engagement, as well as mutual commitment to further strengthening them.
Minister Kosherbayev emphasized that Switzerland is a reliable and key partner for Kazakhstan in Europe, highlighting steady political dialogue, expanding regional ties, and the growth of trade, economic, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation.
“For over the three decades of diplomatic relations, Astana and Bern have developed high-level political contacts, constructive intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary collaboration. Trade and economic cooperation is the cornerstone and driving force of our partnership” Yermek Kosherbayev
Particular attention was paid to trade, economic, and investment cooperation, noting that over the past 20 years Swiss investments in Kazakhstan have reached 35.8 billion US dollars, while the trade turnover in the first ten months of 2025 has already amounted to 1.2 billion US dollars.
In turn, Minister Cassis expressed Switzerland’s interest in further developing multifaceted cooperation, drawing attention to Switzerland’s upcoming OSCE Chairmanship in 2026.
The foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and Switzerland underscored the similarity of the two countries’ approaches to current issues on the international agenda and noted the potential for cooperation in the fields of mediation and water diplomacy.
In this regard, both sides expressed satisfaction with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) on the regional program “Blue Peace Central Asia”.
In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Foreign Policy Research Institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, providing for the implementation of joint projects and cooperation programs in areas of mutual interest.
