Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-nation tour to Sweden and United Kingdom from April 16-21 during which apart from bilateral talks with his counterparts, he will also participate in the first India-Nordic countries summit in Stockholm (April 16-17) and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in london (April 19-20).
In Sweden, the PM has a number of meetings lined up, including an audience with King Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden and consultations with Prime Minister Stefan lofven. Modi will also address a gathering of select Swedish business leaders and meet the Indian community in Stockholm.
Sweden is India's important partner in trade, technology and investment. Over 170 Swedish companies have invested $1.4 billion in India since 2000 while about 70 Indian companies have invested in Sweden. India-Sweden annual bilateral trade stands at around $1.8 billion.
India and Sweden will co-host the India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm on April 17. The India-Nordic Summit will see participation of the Prime Ministers of India and of all the Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
India's trade with the Nordic countries totalled around $5.3 billion in 2016-17, with Cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to India at $2.5 billion. “The Nordic countries have globally recognized strengths in clean technologies, environmental solutions, port modernization, food processing, health, agriculture infrastructure, skill development and innovation which are also the focus areas of India's development. These complementarities and the unique strengths of India and the Nordic countries hold the potential to further boost trade and investment from both sides,” said Subrata Bhattacharjee, Joint Secretary Central Europe Division in Ministry of External Affairs. On the sidelines of the India-Nordic Summit, Modi will also have separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
Modi will reach United Kingdom on April 17 for a bilateral visit and CHOGM. “The forthcoming visit of the PM to the UK will focus on enhancing India-UK tech partnership. The visit will see a number of deliverables in the area of skill development, healthcare, cyber security, innovation, traditional medicine, and education. The India-UK CEOs Forum will also take place during this visit. UK will formally convey their readiness to join the International Solar Alliance,” the MEA officials said.
“India and the UK share a modern partnership bound by strong historical ties,” they added
In 2004, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership. UK is among India's major trading partners. The merchandise trade between the two countries in 2017 reached $13 billion, and trade in services is around $7.2 billion. India continued to be the third largest investor in the UK and emerged as the second largest international job creator with Indian companies having created over 110,000 jobs in the UK.
Modi will attend the CHOGM in london from April 19-20. The Meetings of the Commonwealth Heads of Government usually take place every two years and serve to shape the organisation's agenda for the next two years.