Commitment to democracy makes India, Nordic nations natural partners: Modi
India and the Nordic countries are committed to “democracy, rule of law and multilateralism”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Tuesday after the third India-Nordic summit.
The summit, where Mr. Modi met the leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, concluded with a decision to upgrade the relationship between India and the five northernmost European countries to a “Strategic Partnership for Green Technology and Innovation”. In particular, they will work on sustainable energy initiatives, maritime cooperation and polar research in the Arctic region, senior officials said.
“Our shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law and multilateralism make us natural partners. And our shared priorities in technology and sustainability make our relationship full of opportunities,” said Mr Modi, standing with the prime ministers of Norway (Jonas Gahr Støre), Finland (Petteri Orpo), Iceland (Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir), Sweden (Acting Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson) and Denmark. Mr. Modi held bilateral meetings with all the leaders in the last few days.
His meeting with Ms Frostadóttir, one of the world’s youngest leaders, was the first since she was elected in 2024, and Mr Modi is likely to invite the Icelandic leader to visit India next year. “The world needs closer sambandh (relationships),” Ms Frostadóttir said during a press conference, referring to a word that has the same meaning in Hindi and Icelandic.
During press statements, each of the leaders spoke about their vision for India-Nordic ties. Warning that geopolitical uncertainty will continue for the foreseeable future, Mr. Orpo said India and the Nordic countries must continue to talk about global turbulence and announced that the next India-Nordic summit will be hosted by Finland. Increasing trade was also part of the discussions – given that Denmark, Sweden and Finland are part of the India-EU FTA announced in January 2026, and Norway and Iceland are part of the India-EU FTA. India currently trades with the five Nordic countries at a combined value of USD 19 billion, a relatively low figure compared to other European countries and regions.
The summit was Mr. Modi’s last engagement before leaving for Italy on the last leg of his six-day, five-day tour of the United Arab Emirates and Europe.
A joint statement by all leaders said that India and the Nordic countries must deepen their engagement to address global challenges, and all five Nordic leaders supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council and welcomed India’s request for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
“As leaders of vibrant democracies and major open-market economies, they underscored their shared interest in promoting a strong and resilient global order based on international law that promotes peace, stability, inclusive economic growth and sustainable development,” said a joint statement issued after the summit. It is committed to promoting international law including the UN Charter and shared values including “democracy, freedom, human rights, gender equality”.
With apparent differences over the Russo-Ukraine war, where India has so far not criticized Moscow, the leaders only “expressed concern” over the war and supported efforts for a just and lasting peace through “dialogue and diplomacy, based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law”. They expressed similar concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and supported the US-led Peace Council for a cease-fire plan approved by the UN Security Council in November 2025. The leaders called for a “de-escalation” of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and for the freedom of navigation and global trade flow through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a strong paragraph on terrorism, India and the Nordic countries condemned last year’s Pahalgam terror attack and the incident near Red Fort in New Delhi. They agreed to work together to fight the financing of terrorism within the UN and the Financial Action Task Force, prevent terrorist groups from using new and emerging technologies and tackle terrorist recruitment.
Denmark’s Mr. Frederiksen, who hosted the previous India-Nordic summit in Copenhagen, said India as a major power and the Nordic countries, which together form a middle power, need to engage more. “The old world order is changing fast, it’s not going in the right direction, so it’s even more important than before that partners who really believe in democracy really work together,” he said.
Published – 19 May 2026 23:03 IST