Swiss Prez To Hold Talks With Modi

Swiss President Guy Parmelin will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday at the start of his three-day state visit to India. Several agreements are expected to be announced in the presence of the two leaders after the talks.

The leaders will review bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, science, technology and innovation, mobility, culture and people-to-people contact, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. They will also exchange views on regional and global developments, including cooperation in multilateral fora.

Parmelin will visit India from October 5 to 7 at Modi’s invitation, accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior officials and business leaders. This will be his first state visit to India and his second visit this year. He attended the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February.

External affairs ninister S. Jaishankar will call on Parmelin on Monday. The Swiss President will meet President Droupadi Murmu that evening, and she will host an official banquet in his honour.

On Wednesday evening, Parmelin will address the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit in New Delhi. The summit will mark the first anniversary of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) coming into force, the MEA said.

India signed the agreement in March 2024 with the four members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) — Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is India’s largest trade and investment partner among the EFTA countries, the ministry said.

The MEA said Parmelin’s participation in the summit gave the visit added significance. It said the visit would build on regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and deepen cooperation in new areas of mutual interest.