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President Droupadi Murmu said Switzerland is an "important trade and investment partner" for India, highlighting opportunities to deepen bilateral economic ties following the implementation of the India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Partnership Agreement.
The President made the remarks on Monday while hosting Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin at a banquet at Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of the latter's three-day visit to the country. The Swiss President arrived in India on Monday as part of his visit from October 5 to October 7. Welcoming Parmelin to India, the President said the two countries enjoy warm and cordial relations based on shared values of democracy and the rule of law, while cooperation spans trade and investment, science, technology and innovation, culture and people-to-people contacts. Murmu noted that following the implementation of the "historic India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Partnership Agreement", there are greater opportunities for expanding bilateral trade and investment. She also highlighted the presence of Swiss companies in India, particularly in the infrastructure sector, where they have a notable presence in the construction of roads, railway bridges and tunnels. Murmu said Swiss companies can also explore opportunities in emerging areas such as clean and green technology and Artificial Intelligence. The President further noted that important agreements had been signed during Parmelin's visit to promote cooperation in migration and mobility, research, and technology transfer. The two leaders also agreed that close cooperation between India and Switzerland can bring immense benefits to the people of both countries and expressed confidence that this visit will contribute to further strengthening relations between the two countries. The banquet was also attended by Vice President CP Radhakrishnan. "Honble Vice President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan attended the banquet hosted by Honble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu in honour of the President of the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Mr. Guy Parmelin at Rashtrapati Bhavan today," the Vice-President said in a post on X. Earlier in the day, Parmelin held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, with the discussions covering a broad range of areas aimed at taking the India-Switzerland partnership forward. "In our talks today, President Guy Parmelin and I discussed ways to take the India-Switzerland partnership forward across key areas like: Trade and investment, especially in the wake of the India-EFTA agreement. Defence production. Nuclear energy. Infrastructure and mobility. Science, technology and innovation. Opportunities for students and professionals," PM Modi said in a post on X. The Prime Minister said the two sides also discussed deeper cooperation in health, clean energy, space, Yoga and Ayurveda. The Swiss President's visit, which began on Monday and runs through October 7, is centred on strengthening bilateral engagement across commerce, investment, scientific advancement, technological innovation and workforce mobility. During the banquet, Murmu also noted that regular high-level exchanges between India and Switzerland have continued to provide momentum to bilateral relations, while expressing confidence that closer cooperation would benefit the people of both countries. (ANI)
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