Gothenburg (Sweden), May 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Sweden on the third leg of his five-nation visit and was received by his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, at the airport. in Gothenburg.
Swedish Gripen fighter jets escorted PM Modi’s plane as it entered the country’s airspace.
PM Modi arrived in Sweden at the invitation of Kristersson after concluding his visit to the Netherlands.
During his visit, PMs Modi and Kristersson will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The bilateral trade between the two nations has reached $7.75 billion (2025), and Swedish FDI into India has reached $2.825 billion (2000–2025).
PMs Modi and Kristersson will also address the European Round Table for Industry, a leading pan-European business leaders forum, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to the MEA statement.
PM Modi had earlier visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit.
In an interview with IANS, India’s Ambassador to Sweden Anurag Bhushan termed PM Modi’s visit to Sweden “very significant” and highlighted the importance of Gothenburg city.
Elaborating on PM Modi’s engagements in Sweden, he said: “The Honourable Prime Minister will come today. He is coming at the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Mr Ulf Kristersson. So, of course, he is going to have a bilateral consultation with Mr Kristersson and his leadership team. Thereafter, the Honourable Prime Minister will also have engagements with the business community of Sweden. He will also address members of the European Roundtable of Industry, which is a group of top companies of Europe. I think it’s a very significant visit.”
“It is the second visit by our Prime Minister. He first came in 2018. But this visit is also significant because it is happening in Gothenburg. This would be the very first visit by any Indian Prime Minister to this beautiful city, which is a very old city, set up in 1620, and it has developed into the technology, industrial and innovation heart of Sweden. It is also a centre where a lot of Indians live. So altogether it is a visit of great significance,” he added.
Anurag Bhushan stated that PM Modi’s visit to Sweden is taking place against the backdrop of India concluding its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union. He termed India’s ties with Sweden “long-standing and diversified”.
–IANS
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