The Ministry of External Affairs has announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a six-day, five-nation tour beginning this Friday to deepen India’s strategic, economic and technological partnerships across Northern Europe and the Gulf. The itinerary includes visits to the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.
MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George described the mission as strategically important, singling out the Scandinavian leg. In Sweden, Modi will visit Gothenburg on May 17 for his second official trip to the country since the 2018 India-Nordic Summit. The visit comes at the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and will review the full spectrum of bilateral ties while exploring cooperation in areas such as green transition, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people links.
A strong economic element has been built into the tour. In Sweden, the two prime ministers will join the European Round Table for Industry, a prominent forum of pan-European business leaders, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, providing an opportunity to engage directly with industry chiefs and investors.
The trip opens in the UAE, where Modi will meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on regional developments, including the West Asia conflict. Energy cooperation and the welfare of the UAE’s large Indian community, estimated at 4.5 million, are expected to figure prominently in talks.
From May 15 to 17 Modi will be in the Netherlands, returning for the first time since his 2017 visit to meet King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Discussions will aim to build on recent high-level engagement and cooperation in defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and water management.
The Scandinavian momentum continues in Norway from May 18 to 19. This will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Norway in 43 years. Modi will call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja and pursue deeper ties, including leveraging the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. On May 19 in Oslo, the third India-Nordic Summit will bring together leaders from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden to give a more strategic dimension to India‑Nordic relations, with a focus on technology and innovation, renewable energy and the blue economy, defence, space and Arctic cooperation.
The tour concludes in Italy with meetings aimed at proactively implementing the joint strategic action plan for 2025–2029 with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Overall, the multi-nation visit is intended to further cement India’s partnerships in Europe and the Gulf, expand trade and investment ties — particularly in the context of the recently concluded India‑EU free trade agreement — and position India as a reliable partner on global economic, technological and security issues.
