Cassis wants to talk to China and India about peace in Ukraine
Published: Thursday, Feb 1st 2024, 15:30
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Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will visit China, India, South Korea and the Philippines next week. The official talks with the foreign ministers of these countries will focus on mutual relations. Mr Cassis will also discuss security policy issues and peace in Ukraine.
Switzerland is attempting to initiate a negotiation process for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict in order to organize a peace conference. Cassis had announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos GR that he wanted to win over China and India for the summit.
Following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the margins of a debate in the UN Security Council last week, Cassis reaffirmed his intention. He said he wanted to explore with India, China and other countries "which path could be pursued" in order to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
The Asia-Pacific region is a priority in the Foreign Policy Strategy 2024 to 2027, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) wrote on Thursday regarding Mr Cassis' trip. Maintaining relations with the four countries in the Asia-Pacific region is in Switzerland's interests.
On Monday (February 5), Mr. Cassis will meet Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. This will be followed on Tuesday by talks in Seoul with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. South Korea has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council since the beginning of 2024 - at the same time as Switzerland.
Reception in China
Mr Cassis travels from Seoul to China, where he is received by Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party and Foreign Minister. The reason for this visit is to resume the strategic dialog at foreign minister level that was interrupted by the pandemic.
The last stop on the trip is Manila on Wednesday. Cassis and Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo will discuss economic relations, Switzerland's contribution to peacebuilding in the Philippines, cooperation in the area of human rights and the geopolitical situation in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the FDFA.
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