DUSHANBE, September 29, 2015, Asia-Plus – On Monday September 28, Tajik Deputy Foreign Minister, Nizomiddin Zohidi, met here with Ms. Elisabeth von Capeller, Vice-Director, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

According to the Tajik MFA information department, the two discussed a broad range of issues related to state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between Tajikistan and Switzerland.

They also exchanged views on a number of international and regional issues being of mutual interest, the source said.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.  Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of Swiss international development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as humanitarian aid.

The Swiss Cooperation Office was established in Tajikistan on the basis of the bilateral Agreement on Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid signed by the Governments of Switzerland and Tajikistan on October 19, 1999.

The Office has a diplomatic status and is headed by a Swiss diplomatic representative, assigned by the Government of Switzerland to maintain cooperation issues and supervise the Swiss Program in Tajikistan.  Since 2001, the Office includes the Swiss Consular Agency, which is an outpost of the Embassy of Switzerland to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Cooperation between Tajikistan and Switzerland is based on the common constituency Group in the World Bank, where Tajikistan belongs to the ''Swiss Group''.