PM Modi, Liechtenstein’s prince talk ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met with Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein to strengthen bilateral relations and build on the growing momentum of the partnership between the two countries.

Prince Alois, accompanied by Hereditary Princess Sophie, is visiting India from October 25 to 28 to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, science, technology and innovation. The two were warmly received by Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, where discussions focused on further strengthening ties and exploring new avenues of cooperation.

“Furthering the momentum in our bilateral partnership,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X, sharing details of the meeting.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Prince Alois and highlighted the growing opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

“Our bilateral partnership is witnessing strong momentum across a wide range of domains, driven by the opportunities enabled by India-EFTA TEPA,” Jaishankar said in a post on X. He also expressed confidence that the meeting between the Prince and Prime Minister Modi would help advance bilateral cooperation.

The India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) is a key pillar of the expanding economic relationship. Signed in March 2024 after nearly 16 years of negotiations, the agreement came into effect in October 2025.

Under the agreement, the four EFTA member states-Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland-have committed to facilitating investments of USD 100 billion in India over 15 years, alongside the creation of one million direct jobs.

This visit is Prince Alois’s second trip to India this year. He visited New Delhi in February to attend the AI Impact Summit and had previously travelled to India in 2010 and 2018.

During the visit, Prince Alois also attended a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.

“The visit underscores the shared commitment of India and Liechtenstein to deepen bilateral engagement and explore new avenues of cooperation,” Jaiswal said.

Paying tribute to Gandhi, the MEA spokesperson noted that his enduring message of non-violence and peace remains highly relevant in the contemporary world.

The visit is expected to provide fresh momentum to India-Liechtenstein relations, particularly in trade, investment, innovation and other areas of mutual interest, building on the opportunities created by the India-EFTA trade agreement.