New Delhi

Swiss President Guy Parmelin on Tuesday expressed strong support for India’s vision of building a safe, inclusive and impactful artificial intelligence ecosystem, stressing shared priorities on human-centric, sustainable and equitable AI development.

In an exclusive interview with ANI on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Parmelin welcomed the summit’s guiding framework of People, Progress and Planet.

“Switzerland fully agrees that AI must be developed and used in a way that everyone in the world can benefit from its potential. This includes economic and societal progress, while ensuring sustainability and respect for our planet,” he said.

Praising India’s growing stature in the AI domain, the Swiss President said his country sees significant opportunities to deepen cooperation with India in research and innovation. He noted the presence of Swiss startups at the summit, calling their participation a reflection of strong interest in partnering with Indian innovators.

On responsible AI, Parmelin said India and Switzerland share common values in ensuring that AI serves the public good by supporting inclusive growth, social progress and sustainability. He emphasised the importance of close cooperation in shaping international and multilateral agreements on AI governance.

He also said the outcomes of the Delhi summit would help shape the agenda for the next global AI gathering, which Switzerland is expected to host in 2027. According to Parmelin, principles such as development of human capital, trustworthiness and energy efficiency of AI systems, democratisation of AI resources and use of AI for social good should guide global collaboration.

These principles, he added, would also feed into the upcoming global AI dialogue to be organised by the United Nations in Geneva later this year.

Highlighting Switzerland’s role in global AI governance, Parmelin pointed to his country’s leadership in the Council of Europe framework convention on AI, describing it as the first legally binding international treaty on artificial intelligence focused on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He encouraged India to consider engaging with this process.

On the economic front, Parmelin said the recently concluded India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement has strengthened bilateral ties, offering Swiss exports and services improved market access in India, particularly in sectors such as watches, machinery, chemicals and financial services.

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The remarks underline the growing momentum in India-Switzerland cooperation across AI governance, innovation and multilateral engagement, driven by shared values and the outcomes of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.