Swiss President Guy Parmelin Begins India Visit; Trade, Investment and Technology on Agenda

Swiss President Guy Parmelin began a three-day State visit to India on Monday, with trade, investment, technology and workforce mobility among the priorities for discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Parmelin received a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Modi.

Accompanied by senior officials and business leaders, he is visiting India from October 5 to 7 at Modi’s invitation. It is his first State visit to the country and his second trip this year, following his participation in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February.

MODI TALKS TO REVIEW BILATERAL TIES

Modi and Parmelin are scheduled to hold talks on Monday to assess cooperation in trade and investment, science, technology and innovation, mobility, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

The discussions will also cover regional and global developments and cooperation in multilateral forums, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

During the visit, Parmelin will meet Murmu, who will host a banquet in his honour. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also call on the Swiss leader.

The presence of a business delegation gives the visit an economic focus alongside the diplomatic engagements.

INDIA-EFTA TRADE DEAL REACHES ONE-YEAR MILESTONE

Parmelin will participate in the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit on October 7. The event will mark the first anniversary of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement coming into force.

The agreement provides an important backdrop to the visit as India and Switzerland seek to deepen commercial ties and review progress in their economic partnership.

Among the European Free Trade Association countries, Switzerland is India’s largest trade and investment partner, the MEA said.

Trade and investment will therefore feature both in the bilateral discussions and at the summit, alongside opportunities for cooperation in science, innovation and technology.

BUILDING ON HIGH-LEVEL EXCHANGES

The MEA described the visit as an opportunity to strengthen longstanding relations and expand cooperation into new areas.

“India and Switzerland share longstanding friendly relations. This visit will further strengthen bilateral relations, building upon the regular high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in new areas of mutual interest,” the ministry said.

Parmelin’s return follows his February visit for the AI Impact Summit. Earlier high-level engagements included the Indian president’s State visit to Switzerland in 2019 and Modi’s official visits in 2016 and 2018.

The current programme brings together political discussions and business engagement at a milestone for the India-EFTA trade partnership.

With inputs from ANI