Diplomat Foreign Desk
Stockholm: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in Gothenburg. During the visit, the leaders held bilateral meetings and participated in discussions with European business leaders on innovation, climate and trade.
HRH Crown Princess Victoria, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, and India’s Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also participated in the programme.
“Sweden and India share a partnership shaped by more than a century of cooperation, trust and entrepreneurship. I am grateful for the strong ties that have brought us here today, and I am confident that our cooperation will continue to grow through innovation, sustainability and digital transformation. Together, we look ahead with optimism and a shared commitment to the future,” said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The longstanding cooperation between Sweden and India, combining Sweden’s strengths in innovation and India’s rapid technological development, creates many opportunities for expanded cooperation on innovation, climate, and trade. The purpose of the visit was to consolidate and develop the close relations between Sweden and India.
The programme included bilateral talks and local visits related to Swedish industry and innovation, including World of Volvo. Prime Minister Kristersson and Prime Minister Modi also gave press statements together with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Royal Order and historic gift
At a ceremony, Prime Minister Modi was awarded The Royal Order of the Polar Star. The Order was instituted in 1748 and is intended to recognise personal endeavours for Sweden or for Swedish interests. His Majesty the King conferred the Royal Order of the Polar Star to the Prime Minister, and it was received from the hands of Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess.
Prime Minister Modi was also presented with a gift: a unique find from the Swedish National Archive symbolising the historic bonds between India and Sweden. The gift consists of reproductions of two handwritten verses by the Indian poet and first non-European Nobel laureate in Literature, Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) who visited Sweden in 1921 and 1926.
A new chapter in a longstanding partnership
The visit resulted in the endorsement of an upgraded Joint Action Plan for 2026–2030, to implement the Strategic Partnership. The plan presents a framework for deeper cooperation on political and economic affairs, space, security and stability, technological and digital connectivity, as well as next‑generation economic growth and stronger people‑to‑people ties. The two Prime Ministers also highlighted the importance of the India-Nordic Partnership and looked ahead to the Third Nordic-India Summit in Oslo on the 19th of May 2026. (Swedish Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
