Gothenburg (Sweden), May 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and expressed complete agreement with her over the “strong potential of India-Europe ties, especially in the wake of the signing of India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA)”.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Sweden.
Addressing the European Round Table for Industry, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the proposed India-EU trade pact as the “mother of all deals” and said both sides were committed to signing the agreement by the end of the year.
Taking to his official X account while replying to the EU Chief von der Leyen, PM Modi said: “It was a delight to meet you in Gothenburg, President Ursula von der Leyen. Fully agree with you on the strong potential of India-Europe ties, especially in the wake of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.”
The EU Chief in a post on X said: “Happy to join @SwedishPM & PM @narendramodi in Gothenburg. Our EU-India agreement — the mother of all deals! — heralds a new era in our relations. We’re working hard to have it applied this year. To fast-forward its benefits for our people & businesses.”
Speaking on terrorism being a serious challenge for humanity and vowing to continue fight against terrorism, PM Modi said, “In today’s tense global situation, close cooperation between democracies like India and Sweden is of particular importance…India and Sweden agree that terrorism is a serious challenge for all of humanity. Last year, after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, I would like to thank Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for the support we received from Sweden. We will continue to fight against terrorism and its supporters…”
“On the presence of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, today makes this occasion even more special. This year, in January, during her India tour, we took many historic decisions to take India-EU relations to new heights. I am happy that progress is being made on all these outcomes. India-EU FTAs will open new opportunities for industries, investors and innovators…,” the Prime Minister added.
Highlighting the India-Sweden cooperation in the defence sector, PM Modi also noted, “In the field of defence, our cooperation is continuously increasing. The fact that Sweden’s companies are building production facilities in India is proof that we are moving ahead in the long-term industrial partnership journey…”
The Prime Minister said: “AI, health tech, and green mobility have great potential in the high-tech sectors. At the AI Impact Summit held in India this year, a large business delegation from Sweden participated. To strengthen the Sweden-India Technology and AI Corridor, we will work on strong initiatives. We are going to build India-Sweden Science and Technology Centre to strengthen the start-ups and research ecosystems of both countries. India and Sweden have a strong convergence on climate change and sustainability…”
He also added, “The relationship between India and Sweden is based on the strong foundation of rule of law, and human-centric development. We consider innovation as the medium of development, we consider sustainability as our responsibility, and we consider democracy as our strength…”
Thanking Swedish PM Kristersson for felicitating him with the highest Swedish honour, PM Modi said, “…First of all, I would like to thank Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for his warm welcome. Some time ago, I was honoured with the Royal Order of the Polar Star. It is not just my honour, it is the honour of 140 crore Indians. It is also the honour of all our friends in Sweden who have strengthened India-Sweden relations…”
Describing the India-EU trade deal as the ‘mother of all deals’, von der Leyen said, “In January, we not only signed the mother of all deals, but we also moved closer on security and defence, on which we signed our partnership. With the first EU-India security and defence dialogue in New Delhi, we continue to deepen cooperation, particularly on maritime security, where we will hold joint EU-India naval exercises. We will also work together in countering cyber threats, protecting our critical infrastructure, and generally increasing information sharing…”
The EU Chief also added: “…It has only been a few months since you (PM Modi) hosted me in New Delhi for our groundbreaking EU-India Summit. We indeed succeeded in concluding our landmark trade agreement, which we call the mother of all deals. Just look at some of the figures: a shared market of over 2 billion people that accounts for close to one quarter of global GDP, over 90 per cent tariff cuts, and enormous opportunities to grow trade and investment from here in Gothenburg…”
Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, “Sweden is a pretty small country, but also a pretty big trading nation. Thanks to the two of you, great opportunity lies before us. This deal on free trade is estimated to create some 23,000 new jobs in Sweden, with more than 6,000 of them here in the Gothenburg region. But I regard this free trade agreement not as the end of the road, but the beginning of a new journey. Sweden, together with India and with our European friends, is very committed to make sure this partnership lives up to its true potential…”
The Swedish PM also added, “…My government invests heavily in the development of orbital launch capability for defense purposes at S-Range. Our bilateral space cooperation has been ongoing for a long time. India’s Space Research Organization and Sweden’s National Space Agency have joined forces since the 1980s. Now I see great scope for India and Sweden to pursue enhanced cooperation in this area, and I’m very pleased that our two space organizations have signed an MOU to collaborate on an instrument that will be part of the Venus orbiter mission…”
He also said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, your visit marks another milestone in this history of India-Sweden relations. Today we have launched a strategic partnership and a joint action plan for our shared objectives…Innovation, emerging technologies, AI, space and geospatial technology along with the green transition of course. As for concrete outcomes of today’s meetings, first we have agreed to launch a joint innovation partnership 2.0 and to set up a joint center for science and technology to connect academic institutions in both countries…”
“India for well over 100 years creating jobs, creating growth, creating friendship. Today some 300 Swedish companies operate in India, many of them with their own production capabilities. And this relationship is growing as Indian companies also increasingly invest here in Sweden…,” PM Kristersson added.
PM Modi arrived in Gothenburg on Sunday as part of his ongoing six-nation Europe-West Asia tour, with the visit centred on boosting India’s partnership with Sweden and the European Union in areas such as trade, defence, clean energy, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson said Sweden, India and the EU were working towards doubling bilateral trade and investments within five years, while also backing India’s “Viksit Bharat” vision till 2047.
The Sweden leg of the tour comes shortly after PM Modi’’ visit to the Netherlands, where he held talks on water management and sustainable infrastructure projects with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
–IANS
int/khz
