PM Modi to visit Norway for India-Nordic Summit in May, geopolitics likely to be in focus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Oslo on May 15-16 to attend the 3rd India-Nordic Summit, Times of India reported, citing sources. Leaders from all five Nordic countries — Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland — will join him at the summit.

The summit will focus on boosting ties in trade, innovation, green energy, climate change, and the blue economy, According to the report.

Geopolitics at the centre

Geopolitics is also likely to be at the centre of the talks, with discussions on global peace and security, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, also possible.

PM Modi speaks to Danish counterpart

Ahead of this development, PM Modi spoke with his Danish counterpart, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and discussed both bilateral and global issues.

“Recalling high-level exchanges between both countries ever since the launch of the Green Strategic Partnership in 2020, the leaders noted the expansion of the Green Strategic Partnership in various fields, which have created favourable conditions for Danish investments in India to contribute to the green transition. The leaders also discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest,” said the Indian government in a statement.

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India looking for more investment

India has been aiming to attract more investments from the sovereign wealth funds of Nordic countries.

At the first summit held in Sweden in 2018, the Nordic nations had supported India’s bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and its push for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Both India and the Nordic countries support a rules-based international order and want global institutions to be more inclusive, transparent, and effective. They are also exploring ways to work together on Arctic research and climate-related issues.

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At the last summit in Denmark, PM Modi and the Nordic leaders expressed serious concern over the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and strongly condemned the killing of civilians. They also discussed how the conflict is affecting the region and the world, and agreed to stay in close contact on the issue.

Nordic countries express strong concerns over Russia’s aggression

The Nordic countries have strong concerns about Russia’s ongoing aggression, due to their close geographical proximity to Russia.

Norway and Denmark are founding members of the alliance since 1949. Sweden and Finland, which were historically neutral, have recently applied to join NATO due to the security situation in Europe, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland officially became a NATO member in April 2023, and Sweden’s accession is pending.