During the talks with his counterpart, Mr Cassis highlighted the close and diverse relations between the two countries, characterised in particular by the 60,000-strong Serbian community in Switzerland. The two foreign ministers also discussed their countries' growing economic relations and Switzerland's participation in the 2027 World Expo in Belgrade.
Serbia is one of Swiss international cooperation's priority countries. The CHF 96 million cooperation programme for Serbia for 2022–25 provides support in the areas of democratic governance, economic development, climate change and sustainable urban development.
In addition, Mr Cassis emphasised the importance of normalising relations with Kosovo as the only way to ensure security and prosperity in the Western Balkans. Transatlantic relations and the war in Ukraine were also discussed.
Mr Cassis went on to talk about the priorities for the 2026 Swiss chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), underscoring the importance of dialogue and cooperation in view of the current security situation on the European continent. To this end, Switzerland intends to work to preserve and strengthen the OSCE as an inclusive platform for dialogue.
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