Sweden is promoting the manufacture of SAAB Gripen fighter in India
PM Modi and Lofven promise to enhance security and defence cooperation
During his visit to Sweden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the first-ever India-Nordic Summit. The Nordic leaders pledged to deepen their cooperation with India and promised to partner with India in addressing issues on global security, economy & trade, innovation & technology, and climate change.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his official visit to Sweden on April 16th and 17th. He was received by Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven himself at the airport. The two leaders discussed the need for productive bilateral exchange and signed the Joint Innovation Partnership and also announced the Joint Action Plan. The Joint Action Plan aims at promoting bilateral cooperation through innovation, trade, smart city projects, transportation, sustainable & renewable energy, defence, space, and science.
The two leaders promised to further bolster defence ties, by signing a bilateral agreement on mutual cooperation on classified information for cooperation. The Joint Action Plan also aims at developing the Indo-Swedish defence dialogue on defence cooperation. The two Prime Ministers agreed to hold defence seminars in the coming year along with the India-Sweden Business Leaders Round Table conference. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sweden also comes as a big boost for defence production as they encouraged private partners in the industry to develop MSMEs concentrating on defence and aerospace equipment manufacturing.
Agreeing to cooperate and support each other’s cause in the United Nations, both the Prime Ministers asserted their deep commitment to strengthening nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven also welcomed India’s joining to the four nuclear regimes, i.e, Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia Group, Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation and Missile Technology Control Regime. Sweden has also been supporting India’s interest in joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Apart from signing the MoUs and the Joint Action Plan, the two leaders called for a stronger partnership between India and Sweden to combat regional threats and global terrorism. Both Modi and Lofven promised to counter terrorism and build a stronger partnership to disrupt terrorist financing networks. They called for an early finalisation of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), to ensure that terrorism around the world can also be tackled through a global legal framework and international law.
During his visit to Sweden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the first ever India-Nordic Summit. PM Modi met with PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark, PM Juha Sipila of Finland, PM Katrin Jakobsdottir of Iceland and PM Erna Solberg of Norway. All the leaders who attended the summit pledged to deepen their cooperation with India. The Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries also condemned terrorism and extremism of all kinds and promised to partner with India in addressing issues on global security, economy & trade, innovation & technology, and climate change.
Prime Minister Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora in Stockholm and thanked the Government of Sweden for their immense cooperation in building an international partnership of culture, trade, and education. On the sidelines of the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met with His Majesty King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.