Swiss President Guy Parmelin is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi for a three-day state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior officials and business leaders as both sides review progress across a broad range of bilateral ties.
Talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Parmelin are expected to cover trade and investment, science, technology and innovation, mobility, culture, and people-to-people contacts. The leaders are also set to exchange views on regional and global developments and cooperation in multilateral forums. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to call on the Swiss President, while President Droupadi Murmu will host an official banquet.
The visit carries added weight because it coincides with the first anniversary of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). Switzerland is India’s largest trade and investment partner among the European Free Trade Association members, which also include Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Parmelin is expected to take part in the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit during the trip, bringing government and business representatives together to explore further economic opportunities.
This is Parmelin’s first state visit to India and his second trip to the country this year, following his participation in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February. The programme also includes meetings with Indian government members, discussions with business and academic representatives, and a visit to Noida International Airport, operated by a subsidiary of Zurich Airport. Swiss officials have highlighted economic exchanges, Swiss investment in India, research collaboration, and migration as key topics.
India and Switzerland have maintained steady high-level engagement in recent years, with earlier visits by Indian leaders reinforcing ties in finance, precision manufacturing, and innovation. The current visit is positioned to take stock of those links while marking a concrete milestone in the EFTA partnership.
