The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and the Vice President - Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis discussed the Fifth Ukraine Reform Conference. The meeting took place on July 8 during the working visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Vilnius, the Republic of Lithuania.

The Head of Government thanked Switzerland for its consistent support of the reform process in Ukraine and its readiness to host the next 2022 Conference in Lugano.

"I am happy that the necessary coordination mechanism has already been created, as it has ensured effective preparation for the current Conference. The Government team is engaged in active work on this issue with the Embassy. I believe that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Presidents of Ukraine and Switzerland will be a key guideline for our cooperation in the process of preparation for the next Conference in Lugano," said the Prime Minister.

Denys Shmyhal and Ignazio Cassis considered the progress of reforms in Ukraine, as well as the state of implementation of joint projects. In particular, the Head of the Ukrainian Government thanked Switzerland for supporting the "Diia. A State in a Smartphone" initiative and expressed hope for the successful development of new projects.

Separately, the parties raised issues of ecology and environmental protection. Thus, the Prime Minister stressed that Ukraine has consistently adhered to its commitments to effectively implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and international climate agreements.

"As part of the Government's efforts to combat climate change, there has been launched a systemic reform of the forest sector, which should result in changes to the outdated forest management system and the introduction of best European practices in this area. Recently, on the initiative of the President of Ukraine, the Green Country project was launched, the goal of which is to increase the area of green plantations by one million hectares in 10 years," said Denys Shmyhal.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Vice President of Switzerland agreed to hold the next meeting in Ukraine this year.