MINSK, 12 July (BelTA) - Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to the Republic of Belarus Claude Altermatt who presented the copy of his credentials, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“During the meeting, the parties discussed current issues of bilateral political dialogue, the state and prospects for further cooperation between Belarus and Switzerland in economic, humanitarian and cultural fields. The minister welcomed Switzerland's decision to elevate the level of diplomatic representation in Belarus to a full embassy and said he is looking forward to its fruitful activity to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation,” the press service noted.
As BelTA reported earlier, at the meeting on 15 May the Federal Council decided to upgrade the Swiss representation in Minsk to a full embassy. This decision was taken in view of the steadily growing relations between Switzerland and Belarus. The embassy in Minsk was planned to be opened officially this year by the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis. Belarus already has an embassy in Bern. Belarus has plans to appoint an ambassador to Switzerland this year. At present Belarus' diplomatic mission in Switzerland is headed by Charge d'Affaires a.i. Pavel Matsukevich.
