Swiss top trade negotiator who helped seal US deal to step down

ZURICH, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Switzerland's most senior trade negotiator who helped seal a deal to lower Washington's punishing import duties on Swiss exports last year is stepping down, the government said on Wednesday.

Helene Budliger Artieda, head of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs for the last four years, will step down at the end of March 2027, the government said.

During her time at the helm, Switzerland sealed a free trade agreement with India, as well as signed new trade deals with Thailand, Malaysia, Kosovo and the Mercosur countries in South America.

The 61-year-old has overseen negotiations on a new free trade agreement with Vietnam, as well as updated trade deals with Britain and China.

Last year she played a role in lowering the 39% tariffs imposed by the United States on Swiss imports, which would have severely dented one of the European country's biggest export markets for watches, chocolate and machinery.

Budliger Artieda made a "significant contribution" to finding a solution by drafting a non-binding letter of intent to cap U.S. tariffs for Swiss goods at 15%, the government said.

The government did not say why or where Budliger Artieda was leaving, saying only she wished "to take on a new challenge in the final years of her career."

Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin said he deeply regretted her decision, and said the search for a successor would begin.

(Reporting by John RevillEditing by Ludwig Burger)