Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

India seeks Swiss cooperation on digitalisation

Indian and Swiss flags on limousine
India and Switzerland established diplomatic relations in 1948, one year after India won independence from Britain. Keystone/Peter Klaunzer

Swiss State Secretary Livia Leu has held high-level talks in India focusing on bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation.

The foreign ministry said both sides reaffirmed their intention to boost their partnership in the areas of digitalisation, innovation and sustainability.

Leu’s Indian counterpart, Sanjay Verma, expressed his interest in Switzerland’s proposal to begin a dialogue on digitalisation, according to a foreign ministry statementExternal link on Tuesday.

A first meeting is planned in the Indian capital, Delhi, in October.

Both sides also stressed the importance of proceeding with stalled negotiations on a free trade agreement between India and the EFTA group of countries, which includes Switzerland and three other European nations.

India is one of Switzerland’s main trading partners in Asia according to the Swiss economics ministry, but talks about a free trade deal, launched in 2008, have made limited progress.

Leu also met the Indian minister of state for external affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi, and visited an institute of technology in Delhi, where Swiss and Indian scientists have worked on a joint project to develop a low-carbon alternative to conventional cement, the foreign ministry statement added.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR