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India-NORDIC summit – Major Diplomatic gain

The five Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark) as a group have a special place in Europe and bringing them together on a single platform with India displays India's diplomatic clout in the region

April 18, 2022 By Ranjit Kumar, Strategic Affairs Analyst Photo(s): By PIB
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with other Leaders at the 2nd India-Nordic Summit, in Copenhagen on May 04, 2022.

The highlight of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Copenhagen, Denmark on May 04, 2022 was the holding of the India-Nordic summit, which can be said to be a major diplomatic achievement for India. The Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson, Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen participated in the Summit hosted by the Danish Prime Minister.

Besides having bilateral summit level interaction with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Modi also had separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland

The five Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark) as a group have a special place in Europe and bringing them together on a single platform with India displays India's diplomatic clout in the region. This is remarkable in view of the fact that Nordic countries hold such joint summit level interaction only with the USA. Nordic countries are considered to be most advanced countries in the world, with whom establishing economic and development partnership has special significance for India. The international community had taken note of India's success in convincing the NORDIC states to hold its first summit in 2018. The second such in-person summit held in first week of May was delayed because of the Corona pandemic .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2nd India-Nordic Summit, in Copenhagen on May 04, 2022.

After the joint meeting with the Heads of States of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "India Nordic summit will go a long way in boosting India's ties with the region. Together, there is much that our nations can achieve and contribute to global prosperity and sustainable development."

Besides having bilateral summit level interaction with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Modi also had separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The second India- Nordic summit focussed principally on the elements of bilateral cooperation which pertains mainly to trade and investment, digital and innovation partnership, green partnership and other areas of economic cooperation where there are developmental and capacity complementarities between the NORDIC countries and India. During these discussions matters of regional and global interests also came up for discussion, but the principal thrust of discussion was how to carry forward the agenda of bilateral engagement between India and the NORDIC countries.

During the India Nordic summit, the five Nordic States reiterated their support for India's Permanent Membership of a reformed and expanded Security Council

While in Copenhagen, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen broke protocol and personally received Narendra Modi, thus setting the tone for a hugely successfully visit to the country. The outcome of the India-Denmark summit reflects the positive and progressive agenda of India-Denmark partnership. Listing out the major outcomes of the India-Denmark summit talks, the Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that strengthening green strategic partnerships were the major focus. During the talks, the two countries announced the launch of ministerial-level energy dialogue, besides the agreement on smart water management and on green shipping, These three outcomes would strengthen the green strategic partnerships between two nations including cooperation in green technologies, green hydrogen, green sustainable development solutions and fighting the climate change together. Denmark also became the first country outside the tropics to join the International Solar Alliance spearheaded by India and France. The discussions also led to the expansion of economic, trade, investment, digital and innovation cooperation between the two countries.

During the India Nordic summit, the five Nordic States reiterated their support for India's Permanent Membership of a reformed and expanded Security Council. The Nordic countries agreed with India for a rules based international order and for multilateral institutions and their commitment to work towards making them more inclusive, transparent, and accountable with the aim of addressing global challenges more effectively. This included working towards reform of the United Nations, including of the Security Council, to make it more effective, transparent and accountable.

As leading ocean nations, India and the Nordic countries agreed on the benefits of partnering on transforming the shipping industry towards a low carbon future through exchange of good practices and technology transfers. The leaders discussed the potential of stimulating business cooperation and investments in sustainable ocean industries in India and the Nordic countries, including in the maritime domain. Hence, the six Prime Ministers agreed that the blue economy can deliver economic growth, new jobs, improved nutrition, and increased food security, if managed sustainably. Therefore, both sides decided to work towards this goal. This will help Indian industry in transforming India towards a sustainable blue economy.