Oslo:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre on Monday, focusing on trade and investment, green technology, blue economy, and other key areas.
PM Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit from Sweden, was earlier received at the airport by PM Store and other top leaders of the Scandinavian country.
This is PM Modi’s maiden visit to Norway, and marks the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country in 43 years.
Prime Ministers Modi and Støre will jointly participate in the third Nordic-Indian Summit in Oslo on May 19, which brings together India and the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway. It will build upon the two previous summits held in Stockholm in April 2018 and in Copenhagen in May 2022, and is expected to impart a more strategic dimension to India’s relationship with the Nordic countries.
PM Modi will call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja. He will also address the India-Norway Business and Research Summit along with the Norwegian Prime Minister.
He will review the progress made in India-Norway relations and explore avenues to further strengthen them, with a focus on trade and investment, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement ahead of the prime minister’s visit.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress made in India-Norway relations and explore avenues to further strengthen them, with a focus on trade and investment, capitalising on the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, as well as on clean and green tech and blue economy,” the MEA said.
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
“India is the world’s largest democracy and the world’s most populous country. India plays a central role on climate, technology, trade and international security,” PM Støre said in a statement ahead of PM Modi’s visit. “This visit underlines the importance of cooperation with India, Norway and the Nordic countries in these times of global instability. We stand together in promoting international cooperation and a rules-based world order,” he added.
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