Richard Koli
Richard Koli was born in 1966 and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from the University of Bern. Since 1993, he has worked at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), where he has held various positions, primarily related to cooperation with countries in Central and Southeastern Europe. Over the years, he served as Deputy Director of Cooperation Programs in Peru and Pakistan, and from 2020 to 2026, he headed the Cooperation Division at the Swiss Embassy in the Republic of Serbia. His native language is German; he is also fluent in English, French, and Spanish.
Richard Kohli takes over leadership of the Cooperation Office from Guido Beltrani, who headed it for the past four years. Beltrani took office in 2022—a challenging period for the Republic of Moldova, coinciding with the war in Ukraine, the crisis caused by the influx of refugees, and energy challenges. Despite these difficulties, he described the past four years as “the most significant” of his professional career.
Guido Beltrani compared his term to a “marathon”—intense, at times exhausting, but extremely valuable from a professional standpoint. During a farewell meeting with Guido Beltrani, President Maia Sandu thanked him for his contribution to strengthening relations between the Republic of Moldova and Switzerland and highly commended the results achieved during his tenure.
New Program Worth 104 Million Swiss Francs
During this period, a new Swiss Cooperation Program with the Republic of Moldova for 2025–2028 was launched, with a budget of 104 million Swiss francs. The program provides support in the areas of effective public administration and social cohesion, economic development, healthcare, and the development of local public services.
During the same period, a Social Security Agreement was signed between the Republic of Moldova and Switzerland, guaranteeing the protection of the rights of Moldovan citizens working in Switzerland, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of social policy and labor.
Another important step was the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member. As a result, in 2025, the volume of bilateral trade increased by approximately one-third compared to the previous year. In addition, the Moldovan-Swiss Business Forum was held in Zurich in March of this year, aimed at further developing economic cooperation between the two countries.
Currently, Switzerland is the fourth-largest donor to the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2025–2028.
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