Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed on a six-day multi-nation foreign visit covering the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the visit is aimed at strengthening economic, strategic and technological cooperation with key global partner countries.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Prime Minister Modi will hold meetings with top leaders of the five countries and discuss trade, investment, energy, defence and global issues.
The Prime Minister will begin the visit in the United Arab Emirates, where he is scheduled to meet UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. Discussions between the two leaders are expected to focus on trade, investment, energy security and issues related to the Indian diaspora. The Ministry of External Affairs said energy security will be a key agenda item during the meeting.
Sources indicated that two memorandums of understanding related to LPG supply and strategic petroleum reserves may be signed during the visit. The UAE is one of India’s major trading partners and is home to more than 4.5 million Indian nationals.
Following the UAE visit, Prime Minister Modi will travel to the Netherlands. This will be his second official visit to the country since 2017. During the visit, he is expected to meet King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Discussions are expected to cover agriculture technology, water management, green energy and investment cooperation. The Netherlands is regarded as an important economic partner for India in Europe, and technological cooperation between the two countries has continued to expand.
In the third leg of the tour, Prime Minister Modi will visit Gothenburg in Sweden, where he will hold bilateral talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. The talks are expected to focus on innovation, green technology, digital transformation and defence cooperation.
Prime Minister Modi and the Swedish leadership are also scheduled to address leading representatives of European industry along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The programme is expected to focus on strengthening trade relations between India and Europe.
The Prime Minister will then travel to Norway to participate in the third India-Nordic Summit. Discussions at the summit are expected to include climate change, sustainable development, Arctic cooperation, clean energy and digital innovation. Cooperation between India and Nordic countries in technology and environmental sectors has increased in recent years.
The final leg of the visit will take place in Italy, where Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to meet President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Discussions are expected to focus on defence, trade, manufacturing and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
