The emergence of friendship between India and Switzerland formally started with the Treaty of Friendship and Establishment of 1948 and was strengthened in various fields such as development, economy, and culture. The exchanges between the two countries have since then increased.

The two nations had a first commercial contact in 1851 when Salomon and Johann Georg Volkart simultaneously founded their company Volkart Brothers in Bombay and Winterthur. They reacted to the increasing demand in Europe for products from the Indian subcontinent and of European products in India. The two pioneers and adventurers reached high prominence with their company in India.

Furthermore, Mahatma Gandhi came to Switzerland in 1931 after having attended the Round Table Conference in London. He spent five days in Switzerland to meet his friend Romain Rolland.
Swiss development cooperation with India started 50 years ago. The first project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) was initiated in 1963 in Kerala with the purpose to contribute towards the improvement of livestock in the State, mainly for dairy production. The successful result was an eight-fold increase in milk production over 35 years in the region. From Kerala, SDC India geographically extended its activities to other regions and domains of cooperation, including to green technologies at present.