Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist January 2019 | Page 38

INSIDE EUROPE
A Strong and Long
Relationship
The Indo-Swiss Foreign
Relations
BY RALF ROTH*
B
esides the size, the climate and the language both
Switzerland and India have a lot of important
characteristics and values in common. Both countries
share a multicultural population that speaks several
languages which are on an equal level respected as offi cial
languages. Both countries share a large struggle and fi ght
for independence. Switzerland in early modern history and
India in several decades of the 20th century. Both countries
inspired their neighbouring countries by a non-violent fi ght
for achieving independence and sovereignty. An example
might be the admiration shared by German poets for Swiss
freedom fi ghters, for example in the drama Wilhelm Tell
by Friedrich Schiller. The drama included symbols for an
unwaveringly fi ght against authoritarian rule and played a key
role in the fi ght of German democrats and for the liberalisation
of authoritarian regimes in the 19th century. The same with the
National Congress´ movement for independence and its leader
Mahatma Gandhi, which was very popular among European
youth and student´s rebellion fi fty years ago.
However, Switzerland and India have much more in
common than becoming independent countries. They both
created governments on democratic principles in the form
38 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 1 • January 2019, Noida