Federal councillor and OSCE chairman Ignazio Cassis visits Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan
Bern, 05.08.2026 — The head of the FDFA was in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan from 3 to 5 August 2026 for official talks with the foreign ministers of both countries. He also met with President Serdar Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan and visited the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. A second trip to the region is planned for October 2026, to Armenia and Georgia.
On 4 August in Baku, Mr Cassis met with the Azerbaijani minister of foreign affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, as part of his first visit to Azerbaijan in his capacity as federal councillor and chairman-in-office of the OSCE.
Switzerland and Azerbaijan maintain regular political contacts, growing economic ties and close cooperation within the Bretton Woods institutions. The two ministers discussed ways to further strengthen this partnership, particularly in terms of diversifying economic ties, innovation and collaboration in the fields of logistics and infrastructure. Opportunities for cooperation within the OSCE were also discussed.
Another focus of the meeting was the situation in the South Caucasus. Switzerland welcomes the peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, reinforced by the joint statement and the peace agreement initialled in Washington on 8 August 2025. It encourages the parties to continue their work towards signing and implementing the agreement, a vital step in achieving stability and prosperity in the region. Switzerland remains ready to support this process at the request of the parties, wherever it can provide added value.
Visit to the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat
In Turkmenistan, Mr Cassis met with President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and the foreign minister, Rashid Meredov, during his first visit to the country on 5 August.
Discussions focused in particular on the close collaboration within the Bretton Woods institutions, economic relations between the two countries and neutrality. The talks also covered the strengthening of regional cooperation in Central Asia, connectivity and the opportunities that greater economic integration in the region could offer Swiss companies. Finally, the role of Turkmenistan and Central Asia within the OSCE was discussed.
In his capacity as chairman-in-office of the OSCE, Mr Cassis also visited the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and held talks with its head, William Leaf. The OSCE Centre's activities support Turkmenistan in fulfilling its OSCE commitments, notably through projects covering various aspects of security.
Mr Cassis's trips to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are his first to the region in his capacity as federal councillor and chairman-in-office of the OSCE, ahead of visits to Armenia and Georgia in autumn 2026.
Swiss chairpersonship of the OSCE for 2026