What was the outcome of the President’s visit to India?

It was very good. The visit has strengthened bilateral relations with India and gave the right impetus to the economic ties. It also provided an opportunity to express the importance that our government attaches to the relations with India. There were exchange of views on cooperation in fields such as energy, climate and environment besides bilateral relations, trade and investment. In 2008, we will be celebrating the 60th year of relations with India. The year-long celebration will have various events and projects. The President also addressed a conference on Federalism.

What is the state of Bilateral Relations between the two countries?

India occupies a high place in the framework of Switzerland’s foreign economic strategy.

The relations have been good. The economic exchanges and trade has reached US$2.6 billion. To take the relations forward we are planning to have greater cooperation in the Science and Technology sectors. We will be opening a Technology House in Bangalore, shortly.

Was the Indo-US Nuclear deal discussed? What is the Swiss stand on the nuclear deal?

We are a member of the Nuclear fuel Suppliers Group (NSG), which is the apex body to consider India’s case for exemption to NPT in order to qualify for nuclear fuel supply. Our President has desired to have a detailed briefing on the issue by an Indian emissary in Switzerland to enable us take a stand on this.

What is the level of Swiss investments in India?

There are about 100 Swiss companies operating in India. They include Nestle, ABB, Novartis, Holcim, Susle etc. Nearly 50 percent of the Swiss exports to India consist of machinery and precision instruments. With more and more Indian companies globalising, we foresee the demand for hi-tech products going up particularly in sectors like textile, electrical and electronics and telecom.

Any plan to attract Investments from Indian companies?

Indian companies are expanding their business operations globally. The Indian corporates can come and invest in the center of Europe. We are looking forward to at least 60 Indian companies from IT, pharma, oil, commodities, and automobile sectors investing in Switzerland.

What is the current level of Indian footprint in Switzerland?

About 24 Indian companies are present in Switzerland. They include TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Dr Reddy’s and Glenmark. We have a programme called “Location Switzerland” to augment the investment promotion drive.

Could you please give some figures on the Bilateral Trade?

The trade is worth US$2.5 billion. In the first 10 months of 2007, the Swiss exports to India grew by 27.5 percent at 1.94 billion Swiss francs that is US$1.7 billion. In the same period Indian exports to Switzerland grew by 11.3 percent at US$645.2 million.

What are the embassy level initiatives in India to increase Indo-Swiss relations?

We have started a cultural centre in Delhi. The plan is to hold Exhibitions and Cultural programmes to promote cultural exchanges.

What are the plans to promote Switzerland Tourism in India?

Tourism is one of the strongest contributors to our economy. We have Tourism offices in Mumbai and Delhi. Last year 115,000 Indians visited Switzerland. We are expecting more visitors this year.

What will be the impact of new air connectivity between Delhi and Zurich?

Our national airline Swiss Air has re-started its non-stop daily flights between Zurich and New Delhi after a gap of 4 years. Very soon our operations will also extend to Bangalore. This will certainly give a fillip to the tourism sector of both countries besides helping the business community.

What is the role of Swiss Business Hub in India?

It is basically to attract investments from India. It also has the mandate to bring about closer interactions between the SME sectors in the two countries. One example is the sector of watch making where Swiss expertise is globally famed.

What all will be the major tools of bilateral cooperation in the coming days?

We have plans for high-level exchanges, participation in fairs, joint seminars and workshops. There will be more academic exchanges and internships. The academic exchanges and internships will see the participation of government, private sector and the civil society.