Swiss President Guy Parmelin arrived on a three-day visit to India on Monday. He was given a grand welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan and was given a guard of honour.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin: Swiss President Guy Parmelin reached New Delhi on Monday on a three-day visit to India. The Swiss President, who came to India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was formally welcomed at Rashtrapati Bhavan. During this, President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present. Guy Parmelin was given a guard of honor during the reception.
This visit is considered important for furthering the bilateral relations between India and Switzerland. The two countries are expected to discuss enhancing cooperation in many areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, innovation, culture and people-to-people contacts.
Formal welcome held at Rashtrapati Bhavan
After reaching India, Swiss President Guy Parmelin was given a grand welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Here he was given a formal honor and a guard of honour. President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present on this occasion. During the three-day visit, Parmelin will hold talks with India's top leadership on various bilateral and global issues. His visit is taking place at a time when special emphasis is being laid on strengthening trade and economic relations between India and European countries.
There will be an important meeting with PM Modi
The Swiss President will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit. The two leaders will review the progress of bilateral cooperation between India and Switzerland. Apart from trade and investment, the talks are likely to focus on important areas like science, technology and innovation. Along with this, both sides will also discuss issues related to promoting people's movement, culture and public relations. India and Switzerland have long had economic and humanitarian contacts, so high-level talks can give a new direction to cooperation in these areas.
There will also be an exchange of views on regional and global developments in the meeting. The two leaders are also likely to discuss opportunities to strengthen cooperation between India and Switzerland in multilateral fora.
Will participate in the EFTA Prosperity Summit on 7 October
A major event of the Swiss President's visit to India is the 2nd India-EFTA Prosperity Summit to be held on 7 October. The conference is being organized to mark the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
EFTA includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway along with Switzerland. TEPA is seen as an important agreement to enhance economic cooperation between India and EFTA. The objective of this agreement is to increase trade and investment opportunities between the two sides.
Switzerland is India's main economic partner in EFTA
According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, Switzerland is India's largest trade and investment partner among the EFTA countries. Along with economic relations, there has been cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education, research, science, technology and people-to-people contacts. Regular high-level visits and dialogue have played an important role in the relations between India and Switzerland. The current visit of the Swiss President is also a part of this series. The increasing economic cooperation between the two countries is also considered important in the changing environment of global trade.