India, Switzerland focus on strengthening bilateral ties

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met his visiting Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis and held discussions for further strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.

Both the leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine.

The meeting, following the 75th-year celebrations of the India-Switzerland friendship treaty last year, delved into various aspects of cooperation and collaboration, EAM Jaishankar said in a post on X, following his meeting with Cassis.

During the discussions, both ministers explored avenues for strengthening the existing ties between India and Switzerland.

Apart from bilateral matters, the leaders "exchanged perspectives on key regional and international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine," the EAM posted.

EAM Jaishankar expressed gratitude for a gift from the Swiss Foreign Minister - a 'Mission to the Sun' Swatch. He seized the opportunity to highlight India's commitment to space exploration, particularly through the Aditya L1 Mission, underscoring the nation's dedication to scientific endeavours.

"Thank him for the 'Mission to the Sun' Swatch gift. Through Aditya L1 Mission, India is living up to it," his post concluded.

In a major milestone, India placed its first dedicated solar mission, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, in the Halo orbit in last September. The successful launch of the maiden solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission - Chandrayaan-3.

Notably, Swiss Foreign Minister Cassis is on a day-long visit to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier said.

After India, Cassis will also travel to China, South Korea, and the Philippines.

He began his Asia tour with a working visit to New Delhi. His last visit to India was to mark the 70th anniversary of Swiss-Indian friendship in 2018.

(ANI)