A range of Swiss companies, local NGOs and development organisations funded by the Swiss, participated in the festival at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital to showcase textile products, banking services, construction materials, education services, consumer products and many more.

Mahbubul Alam, information adviser to the caretaker government, inaugurated the festival while Dora Rapold, Swiss ambassador to Bangladesh, Ashfaque Ur Rahman, president of Switzerland-Bangladesh Business Forum (SBBF), and Adrian Schlaepfer, assistant director general of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), were also present.

Swiss embassy in Dhaka, SDC and SBBF jointly organised the festival, which is open for all from 10am to 8pm everyday. The Daily Star is the media partner of the fair and CEMS, an event management company, is managing the show.

"The festival, which marks the 35th anniversary of friendship between the two countries, will help our people know more about Switzerland, including the whole range of activities of the SDC", Mahbubul Alam said in his inaugural speech.

The SDC is supporting many programmes in social and economic sectors to help Bangladesh achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the adviser said. "We hope the SDC would increase its assistance in covering more areas to help our effort to make poverty a history".

The SDC's support in exploring new and emerging markets in Europe for Bangladesh's export and drawing more Swiss investment will be of particular help for Bangladesh, he added.

The bilateral relation between the two countries is grounded on development assistance, trade and investment and culture, the Swiss ambassador said, adding that the trade volume between the two nations is increasing by 10 per cent per year.

On the sidelines of the festival, seminars on economic development of Bangladesh, its textile sector and technological aspects of Switzerland will also be held.