Leuthard pleased with India visit
Economics Minister Doris Leuthard says progress has been made in many areas as a result of her five-day business delegation visit to India.
Speaking in Mumbai on Saturday at the end of her trip, Leuthard said Switzerland had moved closer to sealing a free trade agreement with India, with a first round of negotiations planned for June in Geneva.
The three other members of the European Free Trade Association (Efta) – Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein – will also be at the talks. Leuthard said the treaty should be signed within a year.
Bern had also been seeking to boost ties with India on a broad range of other issues including science, education, research and the environment.
Leuthard’s trip was the third official visit by a Swiss government minister to the subcontinent over the past nine months and marked the 60th anniversary of the signature of a Friendship Treaty with independent India.
On Friday Leuthard sets off for China.
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.