Swiss President Guy Parmelin's State Visit to India (October 5-7, 2026): India and Switzerland Sign Five Pacts to Deepen Trade, Investment and Defence Ties

Key facts

• India and Switzerland signed five agreements on October 5, 2026, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin, agreeing to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, defence, nuclear energy and infrastructure.
• The five pacts include a migration and mobility partnership, an exchange programme for young professionals, and a pact on cooperation in transportation technologies, mobility systems and infrastructure development.
• Parmelin began his three-day state visit to India on October 5, 2026 — his first state visit to the country and second visit this year after attending the AI Impact Summit in February.
• The migration and mobility agreement provides multiple-entry visas of up to five years with stays of up to six months per visit, and renewable one-year student permits, while addressing irregular migration and human trafficking.
• Under the young professionals exchange scheme, up to 300 people from each country can participate annually, potentially rising to 500.
• The two sides agreed to expand market access for Indian exports to Switzerland and facilitate greater Swiss investment in India, boosting exports of agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, textiles and engineering goods.
• The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway came into force in October, targeting USD 100 billion in investment and one million direct jobs in India over the next 15 years.
• Parmelin said Switzerland hoped to conclude an investment protection agreement with India soon and stressed progress on intellectual property protection.
• Swiss companies are involved in Indian infrastructure projects including the Varanasi ropeway, Jewar Airport in Noida, and railway and tunnelling projects in hilly regions.
• The two leaders discussed expanding military exchanges and defence production and agreed to deepen cooperation in nuclear energy; new joint research projects in health, clean energy and space are expected.
• Parmelin received a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 5, with President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi in attendance, marking the start of the visit.
• During the visit, Parmelin will meet President Droupadi Murmu, who will host an official banquet, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will call on him.
• Parmelin will participate in the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit on October 7, marking the first anniversary of TEPA coming into force; Switzerland is India's largest trade and investment partner among EFTA countries.
• More than 330 Swiss companies operate in India across engineering, services, precision instruments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
• The leaders discussed the Ukraine conflict and West Asia, supporting peace efforts and reforms of global institutions, and discussed AI governance, with Switzerland hosting the next Geneva AI Summit.