Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral meetings with equivalents from the Nordic countries Norway Sweden Iceland Finland India-Nordic summit Jonas Gahr
New Delhi: On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland, where he discussed ways to further deepen bilateral ties and also exchanged views on regional and global development.
Modi, who arrived here on Tuesday from Berlin on the second part of his visit to three European nations, met the four Nordic leaders alongside the second Indo-Nordic summit in the Danish capital.
He began his day by meeting the Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store, where the two leaders inventoried the full range of bilateral relations.
“Had a productive meeting with PM @jonasgahrstore in Norway. Our talks included promoting cooperation in sectors such as the blue economy, clean energy, space, health care and more. Norway is a key pillar of India’s recently announced Arctic policy,” Modi tweeted.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders.
“Both Prime Ministers reviewed the ongoing activities of bilateral relations and discussed future areas of cooperation,” said the Foreign Ministry (MEA).
Discussions were also held on regional and global development. As members of the UN Security Council, India and Norway have engaged with each other in the UN on global issues of mutual interest, it says.
Modi’s visit comes in the midst of the Ukraine crisis, which has united large parts of Europe against Russia.
“Both leaders discussed the potential for deepening engagement in areas such as the blue economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, green shipping, fisheries, water management, rainwater harvesting, space cooperation, long-term investment in infrastructure, health and culture.” in MEA.
Modi also had a “wonderful meeting” with the Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson where they discussed ways to deepen the bilateral ties and progress in the joint action plan. This was the first meeting between the two leaders.
“We discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in key sectors such as security, IT, research and innovation. Strong ties between our nations will benefit our people,” Modi tweeted.
The two leaders held extensive talks to further diversify the friendship between India and Sweden, said the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the two leaders took stock of the progress of the joint action plan and also appreciated the expanded scope of the jointly launched LeadIT initiative, said MEA spokeswoman Arindam Bagchi.
During the 2018 visit by Prime Minister Modi to Sweden, the two sides adopted a comprehensive joint action plan to take forward a wide range of initiatives in defense, trade and investment, renewable energy, smart cities, development of women’s skills, space and science and healthcare, etc. The two sides had also signed a joint innovation partnership.
“Discussions also took place on regional and global development,” said the MEA, adding that the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the Lead IT initiative.
This was a joint global initiative between India and Sweden to set up a Leadership Group on Industry Transition (LeadIT) in September 2019 at the UN climate summit to help the world’s industries that emit the most greenhouse gases towards a low-carbon economy. Its membership has now grown to 35 with 16 countries and 19 companies.
“Both leaders also discussed the possibilities of deepening cooperation in areas such as innovation, climate technology, climate action, green hydrogen, space, defense, civil aviation, the Arctic, polar research, sustainable mining and trade and economic ties,” it added.
In a separate meeting, Modi held talks with Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir and discussed ways to further strengthen economic cooperation, especially in the sectors of geothermal energy, blue economy, Arctic, renewable energy, fisheries, food processing, education including digital universities and culture, MEA said.
Discussions also took place on regional and global development, it added.
“Glad to meet Prime Minister @katrinjak. We discussed India – Iceland relations, in particular our joint cooperation in health care, renewable energy, fisheries and more,” Modi tweeted.
Modi praised Jakobsdottir’s personal efforts to promote gender equality and informed her about India’s progress on the issue, MEA said.
Discussions also took place on speeding up trade negotiations between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
Modi also met with his Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin and discussed ways to further cement bilateral ties in trade, investment, technology and other sectors.
“Today’s meeting with Finland @MarinSanna was very rewarding. There is enormous potential in expanding the digital partnership between India and Finland, trade partnerships and investment links. We also discussed ways to deepen cultural ties between our nations,” Modi tweeted.
This was the first personal meeting between the two leaders.
They discussed opportunities to expand collaboration in the areas of new and emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computers, future mobile technologies, clean technology and smart grids, MEA said.
Modi invited Finnish companies to collaborate with Indian companies and take advantage of the enormous opportunities offered by the Indian market, especially in telecom infrastructure and digital transformations.
Discussions were also held on regional and global developments and on increased cooperation in international organizations.
India’s trade with the Nordic countries amounts to over USD 5 billion (2020-21).