New Delhi: Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois arrived in New Delhi on Monday after engagements in Vadodara, ahead of talks with the prime minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday. The four-day state visit places trade, investment and technology cooperation in focus a year after India’s agreement with four European economies came into force.
In a post on X on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) welcomed Hereditary Prince Alois’s arrival in New Delhi, describing it as “A new chapter in India-Liechtenstein engagement”. The ministry said the prince arrived after visiting Vadodara and was received at the airport by minister of state Jayant Chaudhary. “The visit will provide renewed impetus to the bilateral relations,” the MEA added.
Alois arrived in Mumbai on Sunday before travelling to Gujarat. According to the MEA, the leaders’ discussions will cover investment, science, technology, innovation and people-to-people exchanges, alongside regional and global developments.
EFTA agreement puts investment in focus
The trade and economic partnership agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) entered into force on October 1, 2025 Its four European partners are Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, none of which belongs to the European Union.
The agreement aims to mobilize an additional $100 billion in investment from EFTA countries into India over 15 years and support one million direct jobs. These are collective targets rather than investments already delivered or a separate financial pledge by Liechtenstein. The commerce ministry says India has offered tariff concessions on 82.7 per cent of its tariff lines, covering 95.3 per cent of EFTA exports to India.
Industrial cooperation is already part of the bilateral dialogue. During a visit to Liechtenstein in January, the commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, met Alois and executives of manufacturing company Hilti, encouraging supplier partnerships, greater production in India and technology collaboration.
The second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit, held in New Delhi earlier this month, examined investment opportunities in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, clean energy and maritime industries, according to EFTA.
Talks with Modi and President Murmu
Alois is scheduled for a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan and a tribute at Rajghat on Tuesday before his meeting with Modi at Hyderabad House. The external affairs minister, S Jaishankar; the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman; and Chaudhary are also due to meet him. The president, Droupadi Murmu, is expected to receive the visitor and host a banquet.
India and Liechtenstein established diplomatic relations in 1993. Alois visited India in 2010 and 2018 and met Modi in February during the AI Impact Summit, when both leaders identified high-value manufacturing and advanced technologies as priorities.
The visit is due to end on Wednesday. As of Monday evening, no new investment agreement or joint statement from the forthcoming Modi-Alois talks had been announced.