The current head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has discussed a range of issues including the conflict in Ukraine with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
Didier Burkhalter, the Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, held talks with Nazarbaev in Astana on November 20.
They told reporters they had discussed bilateral relations and urgent international issues including the situation in Ukraine.
Burkhalter said that "Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan, plays a key role as a bridge between Europe and Asia. This bridge is of utmost importance under current conditions."
Nazarbaev called on Swiss businesses to get more involved in Kazakhstan.
Nazarbaev said Kazakhstan's stance on the Ukraine crisis fully coincides with that of the OSCE and that Astana favors a swift and peaceful resolution of the conflict between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists.