On Tuesday, July 21, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with the President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga.

The parties discussed the progress in the implementation of reforms in Ukraine and the deepening of bilateral cooperation between the states.

The Prime Minister welcomed the signing of the Cooperation Program of the Swiss Confederation with Ukraine for 2020-2023, which provides funding in four areas amounting to 108 million Swiss Francs. The Prime Minister stressed that Switzerland is one of the five major foreign investors in Ukraine.

"One of the successful examples of our cooperation is the establishment in Ukraine of joint with Switzerland manufacturing of artificial lung ventilation devices. This is a real investment project that will not only create jobs, but also provide significant support to the medical sector during the coronavirus crisis with the opportunity to produce high-tech products," said Denys Shmyhal.

The Prime Minister also expressed hope that Ukraine and the Swiss Confederation would continue joint projects, in particular in the field of infrastructure.

During the meeting, Denys Shmyhal and Ms. Simonetta Sommaruga also tackled the progress of reforms in Ukraine. The Head of Government stressed that the full support of the Swiss Confederation is one of the incentives for further development and pursuing the path of reforms.

"The Government is committed to prolonging systemic reforms in Ukraine. And I am pleased to note that Switzerland has been one of our largest partners since the launch of decentralization reform. Last week, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of a new district division of Ukraine. And in October, local elections will be held under the new administrative-territorial system," emphasized the Prime Minister.

Denys Shmyhal thanked the President and the Swiss Confederation for their support of Ukraine and their unwavering policy on maintaining sanctions against the Russian Federation.

For her part, Ms. Simonetta Sommaruga noted that Switzerland will continue to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine and is interested in further cooperation in the field of infrastructure and digitalization.