Linus von Castelmur, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan has said that Switzerland could be the gateway to Europe for Indian companies and that 12 of the top 500 multi-national companies are based in Switzerland.
Dr. Castelmur was addressing a seminar on the topic of ‘Changing horizons in Indo-Swiss relations: Innovation as new driver for growth,’ organised by the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Swiss Indian Chamber of Commerce here.
GCCI vice-president Sandip Bhandare said that Indo-Swiss bilateral relations date back to the time of India’s independence when India and Switzerland signed a treaty of friendship in 1948. He was sure that the seminar would discuss new ways of collaborations between the Swiss technological advancement and Indian manufacturing capabilities.
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In his keynote address, Dr. Castelmur also said that Swiss direct investment to India was estimated to be in the region of $ 2.5 billion dollars. He said that the Swiss had an extremely open economy with liberal tax and labour laws and flexible labour market where companies were free to hire and fire.
Nitin Kunkolienker, member, Goa Investment Promotion Board, spoke on ‘Opportunities for investment in Goa’. He mentioned the synergies that exist between Switzerland and Goa as both are prime tourist destinations preferred by people the world over. With the new investment policy of Goa in place, he said that the State government had an ambitious plan for attracting investments in the areas of software, hardware, pharmaceuticals, tourism, etc., and these are the areas where Swiss investors could look for investment opportunities.
Swiss have an open economy with liberal tax and labour laws, says Ambassador