Narendra Modi embarks on first foreign visit of 2022: Understanding the significance of PM’s Europe trip

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on his Europe trip of Germany, Denmark and France at a time when the region faces many challenges in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The prime minister during his three-day visit will meet with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, following which he will travel to Copenhagen on 3-4 May at the invitation of his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen to hold bilateral engagements and also participate in the Second India-Nordic Summit.

On the way back to India, Modi will also make a brief stopover in Paris for a meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron.

In the coming days, I will be visiting Germany, Denmark and France for important bilateral and multilateral engagements.

The first leg of the visit will be in Germany, where I will meet Chancellor @OlafScholz and co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 1, 2022

Here’s a better look at the prime minister’s hectic ‘three-day, three nation’ visit and what’s on the agenda.

A packed schedule

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit will be his first foreign trip in 2022 and will see him making his way to Germany, followed by Denmark and this France.

As per reports, the prime minister will have 25 hectic engagements spanning around 65 hours.

Clocking three countries in three days!

PM @narendramodi embarks on a visit to Germany, Denmark and France from 2-4 May 2022.

An opportunity to deepen partnerships, expand strategic convergences and enhance coordination on regional & global issues. pic.twitter.com/yzZVd8xFvm

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 1, 2022

Landing in Berlin, Narendra Modi will hold talks with Olaf Scholz , Federal Chancellor of Germany. The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said that the two leaders will co-chair the sixth edition of the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC).

This will be Modi’s first meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who took charge of Germany from Angela Merkel, last December. The German chancellor has visited India in 2012 when he was the Mayor of Hamburg.

After Germany, Narendra Modi will travel to Copenhagen where he will participate in the second India-Nordic Summit being hosted by Denmark, on the invitation of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

India first began engaging with the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland in 2018 and this was aimed to explore new areas of cooperation.

“The summit will focus on subjects like post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change, innovation and technology, renewable energy, the evolving global security scenario and India-Nordic cooperation in the Arctic region,” PM Modi was quoted as saying.

Besides the bilateral aspect of his Denmark visit, Modi will also hold talks with Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.

Modi will also be holding meets with top CEOs in Denmark, urging them to set up manufacturing plants in India.

After his Copenhagen leg of his visit, Modi will then stopover in Paris to meet his ‘friend’ Emmanuel Macron . Macron made history recently when he became the only French leader after Jacques Chirac to be re-elected to office.

“President Macron and I will share assessments on various regional and global issues and will take stock of ongoing bilateral cooperation. It is my firm belief that two countries that share such similar vision and values for the global order, must work in close cooperation with each other,” Prime Minister Modi said in a statement before he left on the three-nation visit.

What’s on the agenda?

Narendra Modi’s Europe visit is very significant as it comes at a time when Russia continues its onslaught on Ukraine.

India has continued to maintain a neutral stance on the matter and continues to do business with Moscow on arms and oil.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a flurry of diplomatic visits with foreign ministers from UK, Poland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway among others and the president of the European Commission visiting India.

Apart from the Russia-Ukraine war, energy security will be a crucial matter.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said ahead of the visit, “Energy security, the changing elements of energy security, challenges in this space and mitigation of these challenges, the solution we could find, naturally are some of the key elements… This would constitute one of the elements in the overall discussions.”

The foreign visit will also focus on how to help revive growth in a world shattered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The economy and business and securing safe supply chains will dominate the discussions. “The focus will be on sustainability and green energy both in Germany and at the Nordic Summit in Denmark,” Gurjit Singh, a former ambassador to Germany, was quoted as telling The Outlook.

It’s left to be seen if Modi will be able to work his charm in Europe, but it’s clear that India will protect her self-interests and not yield to foreign pressure on the issue of Russia and Ukraine.

With inputs from agencies

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