Dear Reader,

Greetings. The year 2006 has been very positive for Indo-Swiss economic relations. The Swiss economy, linked to its exports worldwide, is on an upswing. The economies of large developing nations such as India are throwing up huge investment opportunities to countries like Switzerland. Today, India's focus is on building infrastructure and developing the energy sector. It has opened the doors to foreign direct investment and technology. The Swiss have both. In the past Swiss investments and technologies have found their way into various crucial industrial sectors, from textiles to pharmaceuticals to dairy products. The Swiss already have a massive base in India and it needs only reorientation on their part to dovetail their investment and technology offering into India's needs. Then there is China, whose economy is growing at a break-neck pace of 10 percent, providing massive opportunities for investment. And the Swiss know it. The cover story of the current issue of Indo-Swiss Business is on how Switzerland is orienting itself to meet the changing needs of the world. The Focus of the issue is also on the assessment of the Swiss economy by leading institutions. Both the country's central bank, namely the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Credit Suisse, Switzerland's leading commercial bank, have forecast a very positive outlook for the Swiss economy. Analysts at Credit Suisse believe that there are plenty of opportunities for growth in several sectors, including financial services, real estate, infrastructure, alternative energy, to name a few. The Swiss are very strong in mechanical and electrical engineering (MEM) industries. This sector contributes a great deal to the Swiss economy by way of exports. We carry a detailed report on this sector, which is poised for a boom. A country's economic acumen lies in converting adverse circumstances into advantages. The failure of negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has spurred Switzerland into boosting its existing free trade agreements with various countries. The country being a huge exporter of industrial machinery and technology needs such an effort to sustain its exports. We carry a report. Tucked high in the snow-bound Alpine territory, Switzerland is undoubtedly the tourists' paradise on earth. The issue carries sketches of leading Swiss cities, their unique characteristics as tourist attractions. The Swiss have elected a New President for 2007. The election of Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheline Calmy-Rey as Switzerland's new Federal President in 2007, could give the country a new and positive direction on both political and economic fronts. We wish the new Swiss President, the Charming and sophisticated Calmy-Rey, all the best. We also wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous New Year.
Wish you happy reading

Satya Swaroop
Managing Editor
satya@newmediacomm.biz