Swiss vice president to visit Ukraine to prepare for 2022 Reform Conference

Ignazio Cassis, Vice President of Switzerland and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will make a visit to Ukraine on October 27-29 as part of preparations for the Fifth Ukraine Reform Conference, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has reported.

According to the report, at the center of the journey is the launch of the preparatory process for the Ukraine Reform Conference, which will take place in Lugano in July 2022 and aims to support Ukraine's transformation efforts.

After a stopover in the port city of Odesa on October 27, Cassis will travel on to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at noon of October 28. In the afternoon, he will have an official meeting with his counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The bilateral talks between the two diplomats will focus on bilateral relations and Switzerland's engagement in Ukraine in the areas of international cooperation, peacebuilding and humanitarian aid.

On October 29, Cassis and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will launch the 'On the Road to Lugano' preparatory process for the fifth Ukraine Reform Conference, to be held on July 4 and 5, 2022 in Lugano.

"The conference will support Ukraine's reform efforts in 2022 with a focus on stability and prosperity, which are also key priorities of Switzerland's Foreign Policy Strategy 2021–23," the report said.

Two members of the National Council, Christine Badertscher (member of the Finance and Foreign Policy Committee), and Lars Guggisberg (member of the Finance Committee and President of its FDFA/EAER Subcommittee), will accompany Cassis on his trip to Ukraine.

This year's Fourth Ukraine Reform Conference was held on July 7-8 at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius (Lithuania).

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