India and Switzerland ink strategic agreements
India and Switzerland aim at exchanging support on migration issues and information on evaded tax related to black money as ministers of both the countries meet at New Delhi.
While the Union Home Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, met the visiting Minister of Justice and Police of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, three crucial agreements were signed. Mutual visa exemption was always one of the major foreign policies that the present Indian government endorsed and practiced to encourage tourism as well as commerce. Switzerland was no exception as the ministers of the two countries agreed on the same in favour of the significant mutual contribution towards peace and prosperity. A more liberal visa process for the Indian business community was another crucial demand from the minister as India has been offering multi-year multiple entry visas to Swiss businesses in a bid to enhance bilateral trade and investment.
Keeping a peaceful and progressive future in vision, the two countries agreed on technical arrangements on identification and return of illegal migrants and arrangement for dependent person of diplomatic consular. The mutual understanding and exchange of information is believed to help in gainful employment.
The Home Minister met the visiting Minister for Justice and Police of Swiss Confederation, Ms. Simonetta Sommaruga in New Delhi today pic.twitter.com/PAo8ehu4AP
— HMO India (@HMOIndia) October 6, 2016
In addition, the Government of India sends a strong message in terms of tackling corruption in the country with a strategic agreement with the Switzerland. Singh proposed training facilities for Indian police personnel in Switzerland Police academies/other training institutes in the fields of anti-hijacking and cyber forensics. The Union Minister also extended a cooperation module with Switzerland on the issue of tax information to curb the flow of black money to Swiss banks which still remains a congenial refuge for corrupt big fishes of India.
The two countries also agreed to topics of mutual interest such as transfer of sentenced persons and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters. It is believed that these would also help in combating terrorism, transnational organized crimes and corruption including money laundering.
