Swiss Federal Councillor Maurer meets Jaishankar, Sitharaman

The meeting with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar centred around identifying potential ways for the two countries to cooperate more closely in the future, and learning more about the Indian financial market, especially in the area of sustainable or green infrastructure and fintech, the Swiss statement said.

Switzerland's Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer on Wednesday held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, focusing on bilateral economic ties and India's upcoming presidency of G20 grouping.

Maurer is currently on a visit to India.

''He took the opportunity to exchange views on bilateral finance topics and to position Switzerland as a reliable partner in the context of India's G20 presidency next year,'' a Swiss government statement said. It said during his discussions with Sitharaman, Maurer highlighted Switzerland's expertise in sustainable finance and the services it can offer in this area. In addition, Maurer promoted open markets and emphasised that stronger trade has a positive impact on a country's prosperity in the long term, the statement said.

It said he also advocated rapidly completing the negotiations on an EFTA free trade agreement with India.

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organisation and free trade area consisting of four European states -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. ''The meeting with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar centred around identifying potential ways for the two countries to cooperate more closely in the future, and learning more about the Indian financial market, especially in the area of sustainable or green infrastructure and fintech,'' the Swiss statement said.