PM Modi to embark on 5-nation trip to UAE
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a six-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy beginning Friday to further deepen India’s bilateral ties amid the ongoing geopolitical upheavals.
PM Modi’s first destination will be the UAE, where he will meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an aim to advance the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on the West Asia conflict.
“The two leaders will have the opportunity to exchange views on bilateral issues, in particular energy cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday. It said the visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries. The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner and its seventh-largest source of investment cumulatively over the past 25 years.
With the UAE hosting over 4.5 million-strong Indian community, the visit will also be an opportunity to discuss their welfare, the MEA said.
In the second leg of his trip, Modi will visit the Netherlands from May 15 to 17. This will be his second trip to the Netherlands, following his visit in 2017.
The Prime Minister will meet King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, and hold talks with Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
PM Modi’s visit will build on the momentum of high-level engagements and close cooperation spanning diverse sectors, including defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on water, according to the MEA.
It said his visit will provide an opportunity to further deepen and expand the multifaceted partnership.
The Netherlands is one of India’s largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade worth USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India’s fourth-largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
From the Netherlands, the prime minister will travel to Sweden at the invitation of his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson for a two-day trip from May 17 to 18.
Modi had earlier visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit.
The prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with PM Kristersson to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which has reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025.
In their talks, the two sides are set to focus on boosting bilateral ties in areas of green transition, AI, emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.
“The two prime ministers will also address the European Round Table for Industry, a leading pan-European business leaders forum, along with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission,” the MEA said in a statement.
In the fourth leg of his visit, Modi will be in Norway from May 18 to 19 to attend the third India-Nordic summit as well as to hold bilateral talks with the leadership of the country.
This will be the first visit of PM Modi to Norway. It will also mark the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Norway in 43 years.
PM Modi will call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
Modi will also address the India-Norway Business and Research Summit along with the Norwegian Prime Minister, according to the MEA.
“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,” it said.
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
“The visit will also be an opportunity to induce momentum in bilateral trade worth around USD 2.73 billion (2024), and investments by Norway’s government Pension Fund (GPFG) of close to USD 28 billion in the Indian capital market,” the MEA said.
The third India-Nordic summit will take place in Oslo on May 19, and it will be joined by Modi and his counterparts from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden.
The MEA said the summit will build upon the two previous summits held in Stockholm in April 2018 and in Copenhagen in May 2022, and will impart a more strategic dimension to India’s relationship with the Nordic countries.
The summit is expected to focus on enhancing two-way ties in areas of technology and innovation, green transition and renewable energy, sustainability, blue economy, defence, space and the Arctic.
In the final leg of his visit, PM Modi will undertake an official visit to Italy from May 19 to 20 at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
PM Modi had last visited Italy in June 2024 for the G7 Summit. During the visit, he will call on President Sergio Mattarella and hold talks with PM Meloni.
The visit takes place in the backdrop of a strong momentum in bilateral ties with both sides proactively implementing the joint strategic action plan 2025-2029, a comprehensive road map for cooperation in various sectors, the MEA said.
The India-Italy bilateral trade reached USD 16.77 billion in 2025.
The focus of Modi’s trip to Italy is likely to bolster ties in areas of investment, defence and security, clean energy, innovation and science and technology.
The prime minister’s upcoming visit will further deepen India’s partnership with Europe across sectors, particularly trade and investment ties in light of the recently concluded India-EU free trade agreement, the MEA said.
