Cassis in the South Caucasus: What Switzerland can deliver
As OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ignazio Cassis is visiting Armenia and Georgia. The trip shows that Swiss diplomacy there does not operate neutrally in a vacuum.
Ignazio Cassis will travel to Armenia and Georgia from 14 to 16 October. At first glance, this is a routine visit by the head of the FDFA. Yet the timing and Switzerland's roles give the trip particular weight: Bern holds the OSCE chairmanship in 2026 and remains in demand in the South Caucasus as a mediator, host and protecting power.
Two countries, two different conflicts
In Yerevan, Cassis intends to meet Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. According to the FDFA, the focus is on the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Switzerland is offering its expertise should both sides want it. That “should” is decisive: mediation can open rooms for talks, but it cannot force an agreement.
In Tbilisi, the focus is on the aftermath of the 2008 war and on security and humanitarian policy questions. The OSCE holds the Geneva International Discussions jointly with the UN and the EU. Switzerland also represents interests between states that maintain no direct diplomatic relations, under a protecting power mandate. This gives it a concrete task, but not a role as an arbiter with decision-making power.
The OSCE chairmanship is an opportunity, not a lever in itself
The OSCE brings states with very different interests to one table. That is precisely where its value lies, and also its limit. Decisions often require consensus, so conflicts can block procedures. For Switzerland, the chairmanship does not mean it can be held responsible for results that other governments prevent. But it does allow it to put topics on the agenda, maintain contacts and keep channels of communication open.
The trip follows Cassis's regional visits to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in August. This creates a regional perspective that matters in diplomacy: security, transport, energy and humanitarian questions cross the borders of individual conflicts. At the same time, the cases must be assessed separately. The tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be equated with the consequences of the war in Georgia.
What makes Switzerland credible
Switzerland cannot project military power in the South Caucasus. Its credibility rests on long institutional work, on international Geneva and on a willingness to enable technical and political talks even when fronts have hardened. The protecting power mandate shows that neutrality does not mean passivity: it demands reliability, discretion and clear limits.
For the public, it is tempting to measure diplomatic trips by immediately visible results. A joint photo or a pledge to pursue “dialogue” does not end a conflict. The yardstick has to be more sober: do channels of communication stay open? Are the humanitarian consequences raised? And can a later political settlement be prepared at all?
Cassis's trip gives no answer to that yet. But it makes visible why Switzerland should not reduce its foreign policy in the South Caucasus to symbolism. Its value lies where the capacity for talks survives despite the experience of war, mistrust and irreconcilable interests.
Sources
- FDFA: Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visits Armenia and Georgia
- OSCE: Geneva International Discussions
- FDFA: Protecting power mandates
