CAIRO: Switzerland is looking to boost its foreign trade and Swiss companies are falling into line. Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry Rashid Mohamed Rashid said a large number of Swiss companies have shown their wish to pump new investments into the Egyptian market in the various sectors, referring to a remarkable increase in the value of Egyptian exports to Switzerland in 2009 compared to 2008. Last year Egyptian exported commodities worth 103 million dollars to Switzerland, while in 2008 the figure was only 26 million dollars, he said during talks held last Thursday with a delegation of representatives of Swiss companies operating in the fields of medical appliances, energy and industrial equipment. The Minister referred to numerous opportunities for economic cooperation with Switzerland including textiles, pharmaceuticals, food industries and renewable energy. Egypt can benefit from Switzerland's expertise in the fields of intellectual property protection, food safety and quality control standards, he added. BM