India, Switzerland to expand defence and nuclear energy ties, sign five pacts
India and Switzerland have identified new opportunities for cooperation in defence and nuclear energy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday (October 5, 2026), after a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin in New Delhi. The two leaders also witnessed the signing of five agreements, including Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Letters of Intent (LoI), across migration, mobility, transport, research and innovation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Mr. Parmelin is on a three-day visit to India to mark the first anniversary of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the four-nation European Free Trade Association (EFTA) — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The agreement came into force on October 1, 2025.
"Today, we identified new opportunities for cooperation in military exchanges and defence production," Mr. Modi said in a statement after the meeting. "We also agreed to further deepen cooperation in nuclear energy."
The two countries signed a separate agreement on transport, mobility and infrastructure. "We invite Swiss infrastructure companies to invest in India at a large scale and participate in capacity building, design and manufacturing," the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Parmelin is accompanied by a large business delegation, reflecting the Swiss business community's interest in making full use of TEPA. The Swiss President, however, noted that some aspects of the relationship remain unfinished, and said completing them would encourage further investment.
"To continue stimulating investment, Switzerland hopes to conclude an investment protection agreement quickly," Mr. Parmelin said. "In this context, it is equally important to achieve results in the discussions on intellectual property protection."
According to the MEA, the MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership "aims to develop migration and mobility cooperation under equal treatment principles, and to prevent and combat irregular migration, human exploitation and trafficking in accordance with national laws." It provides for multiple-entry visas of up to five years, including stays of up to six months on each visit, and renewable one-year student permits.
A second agreement on the Exchange of Young Professionals covers young people taking up temporary employment in the other country to improve their professional and language skills in their field. It provides for an exchange of 300 people annually per country, a number that "may" rise to 500, among other provisions.
In the research and transport sectors, the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research and India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways signed an MoU on the promotion and collaboration on transportation technologies, mobility systems and infrastructure in identified areas.
A Letter of Intent was signed between India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Swiss National Science Foundation to promote long-term cooperation between the Indian and Swiss research communities. The DST also signed an Implementation Arrangement with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences for cooperation in innovation, technology transfer and entrepreneurship.
TEPA, which was signed in March 2024 and took effect in October 2025, is India's first trade agreement with a bloc of European economies. It included a commitment by the EFTA countries to invest $100 billion in India over 15 years and to create one million jobs, according to the agreement released at the time of signing. Monday's meeting is the first high-level review of the pact since it came into force.
