On Thursday, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman met with President of the National Council of Switzerland Christa Markwalder. The interlocutors focused on intensification of bilateral trade and economic relations.

Speaking about cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland, Volodymyr Groysman expressed belief that a meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee due in September would contribute to enhancing and deepening bilateral ties.

President of the National Council of Switzerland Christa Markwalder noted the interest of the Swiss business to invest in Ukraine.

In this context, Volodymyr Groysman noted that the creation in Ukraine of favorable business environment is included into the top priorities of the Government’s activities. He briefed about the achievements in this domain, in particular the launch of a judicial reform, customs reform, the formation of the Office for investment attraction under the supervision of the Prime Minister. The Government also continues its cooperation with the IMF.

"The issues of deregulation, the elimination of mechanisms that can limit opportunities for business are among activities of our daily agenda”, stressed Volodymyr Groysman. I have a strong interest in making investments in Ukraine successful."

President of the National Council of Switzerland Christa Markwalder commended the ambitious program of reforms pursued by the Government, notably the decentralization of power and combating corruption, which will definitely improve business climate, she said.

The parties also discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements. The Head of the National Council noted that Switzerland supports Ukraine on the path towards peace, considers unacceptable the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the illegitimacy of the referendum in Crimea and the annexation of it by the Russian Federation.

The Prime Minister accentuated that Switzerland is an important partner for Ukraine and thanked for the support, in particular in the context of Russian aggression. He also stressed the importance of the rendered humanitarian assistance and support for reforms, promoting the development of local self-government, decentralization and the implementation of other projects. "We feel this support, it is very efficient and yields positive results", he summed up.