Nordic Outreach: Denmark's PM to arrive in New Delhi, first head of government to visit India amid COVID crisis

New Delhi: Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will be visiting New Delhi next month and will be the first head of government to visit India amid the COVID pandemic. She is expected to visit India in mid-march, around the 15th.

There has been significant outreach from New Delhi to Nordics and from Nordics to India. Last year saw a virtual summit between Denmark's PM and Indian PM Modi, the first such summit of the latter with a Nordic country. India and Denmark have a unique "Green Strategic Partnership" that will see both sides focusing on "green and climate-friendly technologies", said a joint statement released after the September virtual summit.

Interestingly, the Indian Prime Minister will be travelling to Denmark later this year for the 2nd India Nordic summit. The last such India- Nordic summit was in 2018 in the Swedish capital Stockholm. Around 200 Danish companies have invested in India in sectors such as shipping, renewable energy, environment, agriculture, food processing, smart urban development. Around 25 Indian companies are present in Denmark in IT, renewable energy and engineering.

So far India has held a virtual summit with 3 Nordic countries-- Denmark, Sweden and Finland. During the 3 virtual summits, a number of issues like technology, clean energy, COVID pandemic have been discussed.

During the India Sweden virtual summit, Sweden's PM Stefan Löfven said, "India and EU as democratic superpowers" and "we join forces, to build back more inclusive societies, it is more important than ever to reaffirm our shared values and mutual commitment to democracy, rule of law, gender equality, human rights and fundamental rights". Both Denmark and Sweden have joined India's International Solar Alliance (ISA).

While during the pandemic, there have been visits--both incoming and outcoming at foreign ministers' level, no head of state or government has visited so far. The last visit to India at the head of state was in February. The then Myanmar President U Win Myint had visited India from February from 26th to 29th during which he had visited Agra and Bodh Gaya. February also the visit of the then US President Donald Trump, during which he visited Ahmedabad and Agra.

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