Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, marking the start of a three-day state visit to India. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him on arrival.

Parmelin is visiting at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. The trip will focus on strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, science, technology, innovation and mobility, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

It is his first state visit to India and his second trip to the country this year, after he attended the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior officials and business leaders.

Later on Monday, Modi and Parmelin were to hold bilateral talks to review progress across trade, technology, mobility, culture and people-to-people contact, and to exchange views on regional and global developments.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was also scheduled to call on the Swiss president. On October 7, Parmelin will take part in the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit, marking the first anniversary of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement coming into force.