Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am happy to welcome you all this afternoon to our National Day celebration.
I am also honoured to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Raphel Nageli, Assistant Secretary of State and Head of Asia Pacific Division of Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and also Her Excellency Ms. Beatrice Schaer, Chief of Protocol of Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
This is a very special year for us as we are celebrating the 75th Anniversary of our Independence.
You would agree that the last two years remained difficult for all of us facing the challenges of the new Coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic restricted our usual businesses and activities. Now fortunately, we have some relaxation and I am happy to meet and greet you all and celebrate this special National Day.
This month I completed one year of my tenure in this beautiful country. Switzerland holds a unique place in our hearts. Our partnership is laced with a rare privilege.
The first Treaty of Friendship that we signed as an independent Sovereign was with Switzerland. The friendship marks our shared democratic journey championing liberalism, pluralism and enterprise.
Even during the pandemic period, there were meaningful and productive dialogues at the highest levels either online or through telephonic conversations between the two sides.
Excellences, ladies and gentlemen,
India attaches significance and priority to its relations with Switzerland. It is a matter of great pride that India continues to be a priority country in the Swiss Foreign Policy Strategy for 2020-23. The Hon’ble President of India had a very successful State Visit to Switzerland in 2019. The frequent high-level visits indicates the depth of our bilateral relations and the importance India lays in nurturing ties with Switzerland.
The connect between us is so strong that many scenic places in India are referred to as ‘Mini Switzerland’ or ‘Switzerland of India’.
There is a great cultural connection between the Alps and the mighty Himalayas. If one is the place of Albert Einstein and Romain Rolland, the other is of Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Ravindra Nath Tagore.
Yoga and Ayurveda, Music and Bollywood have also brought our people closer.
Switzerland’s beautiful landscapes, famous brand-names and sporting icons create very positive feelings for Switzerland in India.
Every young couple wants to be the Raj and Simran of DDLJ romancing in the Alps. Bollywood has helped in boosting Swiss tourism in India, and the renowned filmmaker Yash Chopra was named honorary ambassador of Interlaken.
Switzerland is also our important (11th largest) trading partner and investor (12th largest) into India.
However, there exists a tremendous potential for more intensive trade and investment as the two countries are natural partners.
Switzerland has state of the art technologies and is a highly innovative economy while India has a huge skilled workforce and a vast market.
The people of India have resolved to build an Atma Nirbhar Bharat or Self Reliant India. This concept merges the local with the global and transforms India into an active manufacturing hub. The New India of today has the overall approach of Minimum Government & Maximum Governance.
Government of India’s Flagship initiatives such as the National Infrastructure Pipeline, Make in India, Smart Cities, Digital India, Start-Up India, Skill India are ideal avenues for Swiss collaboration.
Priority sectors of cooperation would also include Clean Technology, Railways, Industry 4.0, Agriculture, Health-care Artificial Intelligence, Vocational Education and Training amongst others.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The new pandemic Covid-19 has adversely hit all of us. India, with 1.3 billion population, faced the challenges with much more intensity. However, we faced these challenges bravely and are in process of conducting the largest ever vaccination drive in the world. We have so far vaccinated 550 million of our population.
We are thankful to the International Community for their support during the third wave of Coronavirus, in particular, thanks to a friendly country like Switzerland that provided timely support in procurement of essential medical supplies.
I would like to sincerely thank the leadership of Swiss Confederation and particularly Ambassador Raphael Nageli and his friendly team of Foreign Office for their excellent support.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Last but not the least, I wish to mention that the special occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence is being celebrated in India and abroad in form of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav i.e. a Mega Festival of our Freedom.
We are commemorating 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of it’s people, culture and achievements. This Mega Festival is dedicated to the people of India who all have contributed in bringing India thus far in it’s evolutionary journey. I request all of you to join us in the celebration.
I once again thank you for your presence today and I look forward to remain in touch with you.
I now request His Excellency Ambassador Raphel Nageli to say a few words.
Thank you.
Namaskar!
