New Delhi - President of the Swiss Confederation Micheline Calmy-Rey began a four-day visit to India Monday aimed at boosting trade ties and cooperation in science and technology. Calmy-Rey began her visit by attending the inaugural of the Fourth International Conference on Federalism being held in New Delhi.
She is scheduled to fly to the southern city of Hyderabad in the evening where she will be visiting information technology training centres and a micro-credit project on Tuesday.
The Swiss president will return to the Indian capital on Wednesday for talks with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. An Indo-Swiss joint statement is expected to be released after the leaders meet, Indian diplomatic officials said.
Calmy-Rey is also scheduled to meet Indian President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and leader of the opposition LK Advani.
The two sides are expected to discuss the feasibility of an economic agreement similar to a free trade agreement covering goods, services, investments, intellectual property and trade facilitation during the Swiss president's visit.
India is the fourth-largest trading partner for Switzerland in Asia. From 2002 to 2006, the trade volume between the two countries grew by 125 per cent.
Switzerland is also one of the 10 main foreign investors in India, with more than 140 joint ventures operating in the Asian country.
Both countries also have a scientific and technical cooperation agreement as well as joint research programmes for projects in life sciences, information technologies and biotechnology.
Switzerland has had a programme on cooperation and development with India since 1961. This programme is being restructured to orient it towards cooperation primarily in the fields of energy and climate, science and technology by 2010.
Switzerland-India relations go back a long way with the signing of a friendship treaty on August 14, 1948, shortly after India gained independence. A series of events and projects have been planned for 2008 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the treaty.
