Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis is on a working visit to Cyprus as part of a series of contacts in Nicosia, Athens and Ankara this week.
Main topics to be discussed in the three capitals are the Cyprus problem as well as the refugee crisis.
CNA said Cassis will visit the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and hold a meeting with UN Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar. He will also visit the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and on Tuesday hold talks with Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.
Switzerland says its relations with Cyprus are “friendly and diverse”.
“They are focused on peacebuilding, on economic, scientific and cultural contacts and projects within the framework of Switzerland`s contribution to EU enlargement.”
According to the Swiss embassy in Nicosia, in addition to talks with his counterparts in Cyprus and Turkey and a courtesy call on the President of Greece, the programme also includes a visit to the UN buffer zone in Cyprus and the refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos.
"Another topic covered during this trip is the Cyprus question, which has remained unresolved for decades".
Cassis will address the Cyprus question at his meetings in Nicosia, Athens and Ankara and discuss the topic of Switzerland’s good offices.
Moreover, he will take this opportunity to explain Switzerland`s position in relation to the European Union to his counterparts from EU member states Cyprus and Greece.
"With almost 4 million refugees admitted, Turkey bears the brunt of the catastrophic situation in Syria. Large numbers of refugees are also arriving in Cyprus and the Greek islands. Switzerland provides support to all three countries in dealing with the challenges this poses".
As head of the FDFA, Cassis will therefore assess the situation himself during this trip. Among other things, he will visit a refugee camp on Samos and discuss the refugee issue with his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, and President Prokopis Pavlopoulos of Greece, it is added.
He will discuss the situation in the wider region with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
