India and Switzerland on Monday agreed to give a new momentum to economic ties to substantially enhance trade from the existing level of over $ 1 billion. During wide-ranging discussions visiting Swiss foreign minister Josef Deiss had with his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh in New Delhi, the two sides examined prospects of enhanced cooperation in multilateral fora including the UN. Describing the talks as ''productive'', an external affairs ministry spokesperson said that the two leaders besides reviewing progress in bilateral relations also discussed situation in the region. Interestingly, import of Swiss watches, a rage in India for a long time, dropped by 47 per cent last year. On the contrary, there was a 25 per cent increase in export of Indian watches to Switzerland.
Deiss, is on a four-nation visit that includes Pakistan, Bhutan and Afghanistan.
The progress in the ongoing international campaign against terrorism and developments in West Asia also figured in the parleys.

The Swiss minister underscored the need for wider political support for the stabilisation process in Afghanistan.
Bureau Report