Switzerland and Armenia enjoy good relations, which include numerous exchanges and Swiss support in the field of international cooperation. Switzerland and Armenia enjoy good relations, which include numerous exchanges. Switzerland supports Armenia in the field of international cooperation and strives to contribute to the resolution of regional conflicts in the South Caucasus.
Switzerland took an active part as a mediator in the negotiations between Armenia and Turkey on the normalisation of their bilateral relations. The mediation process, which culminated in the signing of the Zurich Protocols on 10 October 2009, helped to cement relations between Switzerland and Armenia, even though Turkey and Armenia did not ultimately ratify the Protocols.
Switzerland has entered into bilateral agreements with Armenia covering a number of areas. A visa facilitation agreement came into force in 2016.
In 2022, the volume of trade with Armenia amounted to CHF 70 million – CHF 60 million in exports and CHF 10 million in imports. Switzerland mostly exports pharmaceuticals, machines and watchmaking products to Armenia. Its main imports from Armenia are watchmaking products and textiles.
Trade promotion, Switzerland Global Enterprise
Researchers in Armenia can apply to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships. Between 1971 and 2019, 20 Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships were awarded to Armenian applicants.
SERI: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists
The FDFA does not have a specific human rights program in Armenia. Switzerland regularly offers its good offices as a host state for meetings between representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Swiss international cooperation activities in Armenia fall under the wider 2022–25 regional cooperation programme for the South Caucasus, which covers Georgia and Azerbaijan as well. The programme aims to foster relations between cross-bordering regions and provide support for related projects, focusing on the following key areas: good governance and peace support, economic development and jobs, sustainable natural resource management/climate change.
Cultural relations between the two countries have developed significantly in recent years. A number of events have taken place during the 'Settimana della lingua italiana' (Italian language week), Francophonie Week and German Language Days.
In 2023, there were 44 Swiss citizens living in Armenia according to statistics on the Swiss abroad.
Switzerland provided humanitarian aid to Armenia following the devastating earthquake in 1988 when the country was still part of the Soviet Union.
Switzerland recognised the independence of Armenia on 23 December 1991. The two countries have maintained diplomatic relations since 30 April 1992. The Armenian ambassador was accredited to Switzerland in 2002.
In 2011, Switzerland opened an embassy in Yerevan. Prior to that date, the Swiss ambassador in Tbilisi was concurrently accredited to Armenia.
There are still only a small number of Swiss nationals living in Armenia. The Armenian community in Switzerland, in contrast, is relatively large: between 4,000 and 6,000 persons with Armenian roots are living in Switzerland.
Last update 24.11.2023
+41 800 24-7-365 / +41 58 465 33 33
365 days a year – around the clock
The Helpline FDFA deals as central contact point with matters relating to consular services.
Fax +41 58 462 78 66
Phone free of charge from abroad with Skype
You will receive an error message if the Skype application is not installed on your computer or smartphone. If such a message appears, please proceed to install it right off, simply by clicking on the following link:
Download Skype
Skype: helpline-eda
