India, Switzerland discuss climate change, Paris agreement

Addressing a joint press session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said they discussed ways to operationalise the Paris climate accord and the gradual replacing of fossil energy with renewable sources.

In her opening remarks, Leuthard,  who is on a three-day visit, expressed her condolences to the families of the victims of flooding in Mumbai, triggered by torrential rains throughout the day on Tuesday.

"During our conversation, we also discussed climate change and its effects and negative impact on society and that is why India and Switzerland are very much engaged in all these discussions on how we can make operational the Paris agreement, on how we can replace fossil energy with renewable energy," she said.

The Swiss president is accompanied by senior government officials and a large business delegation of leading Swiss companies.

Swiss presidents have visited India on three occasions earlier -- in 1998, 2003 and 2007.