New Delhi, May 13 -- The government on Wednesday, informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's impending visit to five nations would focus on "trade, investment, technology, particularly green technology, innovation, start-ups, and of course, people-to-people connect," while also reinforcing India's long-term strategic partnerships across the Gulf and Europe.
Talking about the agenda, Sibi George, Secretary (West), added, ".discussions will be held on strengthening our bilateral cooperation. Discussions will also focus on strengthening our energy security. I repeat, energy security, which is an important aspect of our relationship."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to undertake an important five-country visit from May 15 to May 20, which includes visits to the UAE and four other European nations - The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy. The upcoming diplomatic visit holds much significance in light of India's rising need to ensure energy security and diversify its economic engagements amidst increasing global uncertainties.
To begin the tour with the UAE, on May 15, is taking place during a period of increasing tension in West Asia and apprehensions about the disruption of maritime security and energy flow channels.
According to George, the cooperation of energy would stay an important factor for the discussion that Modi will be holding with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
George emphasised that the consistent high-level political engagements still exist between India and the UAE through their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. While talking about the Indian diaspora residing in the Gulf country, he said, "We have 4.5 million Indians in the UAE and this is the living link of our partnership."
As for the European leg of the trip, its importance lies against the backdrop of the increasing cooperation between India and Europe through economic initiatives such as the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement.
According to George, this engagement is part of India's overall vision in terms of economy and geopolitics in its 'Amrit Kaal' era when it hopes to develop and become a developed country by 2047. "India sees these countries as our partners in our 'Make in India' initiative to make India a manufacturing hub," George stated.
Modi's visit to the Netherlands will be marked by meetings with the Dutch authorities and interactions with the business community and the Indian community.
According to George, "cooperation between India and the Netherlands is not limited to traditional areas like water, agriculture, and healthcare. It extends to technology, innovation, defence, security, semiconductors, renewable energy, education, and the maritime sector." George, further, pointed out that there was also a considerable Indian diaspora in the Netherlands, which has more than 90,000 Indians and people of Indian origin, and a substantial Surinamese-Hindustani population.
In Sweden, George described the relationship as increasingly innovation-driven, anchored in the India-Sweden Innovation Partnership launched in 2018. The senior official said Modi's visit to Gothenburg, on May 17, would focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, resilient supply chains, green transition and defence cooperation. "Sweden, today, is one of the world's most innovative economies, and India and Sweden increasingly view each other as complementary innovation and technology partners," he added.
George also mentioned the expanding defence collaboration between the two nations, particularly the presence of the Carl-Gustaf manufacturing unit of Sweden-based defence firm Saab in the city of Hyderabad through the 100 per cent foreign direct investment route. Other areas of cooperation that he referred to include climate change and industrial transitions, such as the formation of the Leadership Group for Industry Transition. The upcoming visit of India's Prime Minister to Norway on May 18 is predicted to inaugurate a new era in the bilateral relationship. This will be the first time in four decades that an Indian Prime Minister visits the Nordic nation.
"There are ongoing discussions on climate action, including cooperation in carbon capture and storage, offshore wind, battery technology, energy efficiency, et cetera," he said.
Norway will also organise the third India-Nordic Summit, which is scheduled for May 19. According to the secretary (West), the Nordic nations play a crucial role as partners of India when it comes to sustainability, renewable energy, digitisation, and innovation. "This summit will facilitate the expansion of our multidimensional cooperation with the region, besides providing us with a platform to share our perspectives on global and regional issues of common concern," George noted, stating that such engagement will give a "strategic dimension" to our relationship with the Nordic region."
The last part of the trip to Italy is anticipated to help solidify the increasingly strong connection between New Delhi and Rome. According to George, Prime Minister Modi has met seven times with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, since 2023, indicating a growing political affinity between the two nations. "This meeting is a chance to examine achievements and explore additional areas of cooperation within the framework of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029," he observed.
Apart from trade and investment, other areas which will be covered include defence industry collaboration, maritime security, clean energy, and new technologies. According to George, both sides were considering the possibilities of "co-development and co-production of defence equipment" as well.
As part of his trip to Italy, the Indian Prime Minister will also pay a visit to the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome. Officials have stated that such an act underscores India's commitment to multilateralism and efforts towards global food security.
In conclusion, George highlighted the importance of the Indian Prime Minister's tour of five countries. He stated that India's ties with Europe in terms of trade, investment, innovation, defence, security, technology, green energy and people-to-people relations will only be further strengthened by the Prime Minister's visit.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.