Meeting with Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis

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Belarus is ready to provide the most favorable investment conditions to Swiss business, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis 13 February.

Welcoming the foreign guest, the head of state remarked that Belarus is often called Eastern Switzerland. “I am not against this definition at all. Switzerland has achieved this favorable status worldwide thanks to its policy, immanent neutrality and exceptional honesty in relations with other states,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “However, there are certain differences. Belarus is a plain country covered with forests, rivers and lakes. One of the most attractive things for people in Switzerland is the availability of mountain resorts. Your country is a beauty with its mountains. Unfortunately, there are no such landscapes in Belarus.”

The president remarked that Belarus and Switzerland have always had good and kind relations. “But I think we still have room for progress, especially in our trade and economic relations. The economy is the main thing. We are ready to provide the most favorable investment conditions to Swiss business,” he stressed.

As a positive example of interaction between the two countries, Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned a decision to appoint the ambassador of Switzerland to Belarus and to open the Swiss embassy in Minsk. “This will be a good step in bolstering our cooperation,” the head of state said. “Your visit is very important and timely. And I am convinced that it will give an impetus to the enhancement of our cooperation.”