New Delhi [India], October 5 (ANI): India and Switzerland have signed a landmark Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) offering multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years, anchoring six major agreements sealed during high-level bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin in New Delhi.
According to the list of outcomes provided by the Ministry of External Affairs, the primary breakthrough from the high-level talks, the Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP), establishes long-term mobility frameworks, including multiple-entry visas for up to 5 years, renewable 1-year student permits, and structured mechanisms designed to facilitate better job opportunities, particularly for youth.
Strengthening human capital mobility alongside the main migration pact, both governments finalised a dedicated Agreement on the Exchange of Young Professionals (YPS). The agreement enables an annual exchange of 300 young professionals per country, scalable up to 500, while drastically cutting verification timelines for nationality and residency status down to 30 to 90 days.
In the green infrastructure domain, the two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Promotion and Collaboration on Transportation Technologies, Mobility Systems, and Infrastructure. The partnership targets key operational areas including electric vehicles, ropeways, circular economy, and tunnelling, while driving industry-academia linkages, public-private partnerships, technology transfer, and sustainable infrastructure investments.
Advancing scientific cooperation and startup incubation, three specialised agreements were concluded across research and technology sectors:
Under the scientific research collaboration pillar, a Letter of Intent (LoI) signed between India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) establishes long-term joint research, exploratory scientific collaboration, and institutional partnerships.
To foster entrepreneurship, an Implementation Arrangement between DST and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences rolls out an Indo-Swiss Academia-Industry Training program specifically designed for early-stage startups to boost capability building and technology transfer.
Completing the comprehensive bilateral deliverables, both countries launched the inaugural session of the Indo-Swiss Research Flagship event in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology to promote capacity building for young researchers, encourage knowledge exchange, and accelerate technology and methodology transfers.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed centuries-old ties and unveiled an ambitious economic roadmap with Switzerland, targeting 100 billion dollars in investments and one million direct jobs over the next 15 years.
Prime Minister Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin held a delegation-level meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday. Following their discussions, both leaders witnessed the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), further cementing bilateral cooperation across key sectors.
Following the exchange of MoUs, Prime Minister Modi delivered a joint press statement alongside the Swiss leader, where PM Modi said, "India-Switzerland friendship is centuries-old. Innovation, infrastructure and advanced technology are strong pillars of our foundation today. With the Summit today, we are going to give a new pace and height to our partnership."
Continuing to outline the strategic and economic trajectory shared between the two nations, PM Modi said, "First of all, I appreciate his commitment to India-Switzerland relations. In October last year, with her personal support, we implemented a historic trade and economic partnership agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association. This is India's first FTA with any economic block in Europe. This is also an ambitious blueprint of investment, innovation, jobs and mutual prosperity. With this, we will realise 100 billion dollars investment and 10 lakh direct jobs in India in the next 15 years."
He added that India and Switzerland share a commitment to democratic values, the rule of law, dialogue and diplomacy, adding that both countries will maintain their collaboration to foster global peace and stability.
"India and Switzerland both believe in democratic values, rule of law, dialogue and diplomacy. We will continue to work together for global peace and stability. Be it Ukraine or West Asia, India has consistently supported every meaningful effort towards peace. We are also in agreement that reforms in global institutions are essential for addressing the growing global challenges," Prime Minister Modi said.
Prime Minister Modi conveyed that he and President Parmelin identified fresh avenues for military exchanges, defence manufacturing and cooperation, alongside an agreement to expand joint efforts in the nuclear energy sector.
Meanwhile, marking the first anniversary of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) entering into force, Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin gave a resounding vote of confidence to the economic pact, stating that corporate interest has seen a "very strong" surge and that the agreement will deliver a long-term boost to bilateral trade.
Delivering a joint press statement, President Parmelin assessed the ground-level implementation of the landmark agreement "very positively," highlighting that TEPA lays the foundation for a structural economic relationship beyond conventional import-export trade.
"I assess the implementation of the agreement very positively. Interest by companies in the TEPA has been very strong since its entry into force," President Parmelin said. "I expect that the TEPA will provide a significant boost to bilateral trade between Switzerland and India in the years to come."
Terming the agreement a "win-win situation" for both nations, the Swiss President outlined how the complementary strengths of the two economies create unique economic synergies.
President Parmelin also praised New Delhi’s role in global governance and technology leadership, calling for an equitable Artificial Intelligence framework as Switzerland prepares to host the next global AI summit in Geneva in 2027.
Highlighting New Delhi's advocacy for the developing world, the Swiss President commended India's global tech stance, stating, "India has demonstrated exceptional leadership in amplifying underrepresented voices in global technology discussions, especially from the Global South."
Outlining Switzerland's strategic roadmap to build on this momentum, President Parmelin highlighted initiatives aimed at democratising access to artificial intelligence across nations.
"Switzerland will build on this, for instance through the International Computation and AI Network (ICAIN), which promotes an equitable distribution of technological benefits and fosters knowledge sharing and AI research across all regions," he explained. "We are currently refining the thematic focus of the Summit and exploring how cooperation with key partners could be structured. I look forward to India’s participation in Geneva."
Having touched down in India on Monday to undertake a three-day State visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, the Swiss leader's high-level itinerary centres on enhancing bilateral collaboration across commerce, investment, scientific advancement, technological innovation and workforce mobility.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that President Parmelin is travelling alongside a prominent delegation consisting of senior officials and corporate executives, marking his maiden State visit to India and his second journey to the nation this year, following his participation in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026. (ANI)
India and Switzerland seal 5-year visa mobility pact, target USD 100B investment following PM Modi and President Parmelin talks
