Swiss Ambassador: We hope parliament to approve CHF 1.5 bln for Ukraine recovery by year end
Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Félix Baumann hopes that the parliament would approve the allocation of CHF 1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) on the recovery of Ukraine for the next four years.
"Switzerland is planning to allocate CHF 1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) for reconstruction projects in Ukraine over the next four years. This is still pending parliamentary approval. We hope to get it by the end of the year, and that would be for the period 2025-2028," he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.
The diplomat also recalled that the Swiss government expressed its intention to allocate CHF 5 billion for the next twelve years to restore Ukraine.
"The world is full of conflicts and the needs outweigh by far what is available in assistance. But Ukraine is a priority for the Swiss government. This is stated in our foreign policy strategy for the next four years," Baumann said.
The ambassador emphasized that Switzerland pays particular attention to digitalization of Ukraine, adding that recently, the Swiss Federal Council approved funding of CHF 58.7 million on digitalization of Ukraine through the E-Governance for Accountability and Participation Program (EGAP) till 2028.
"Look at Diia or Mriya, those projects actually were supported by Switzerland too. And I think that's an absolute breakthrough that Ukraine can be proud of. I suppose we can learn a lot from Ukraine in this field," he said.