Transcript of Special Briefing by MEA on the visit of Prime Minister to Sweden (May 17, 2026)

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: (inaudible)… joined on the dais by our Ambassador to Sweden, Shri Anurag Bhushan and Smt. Pooja Kapur who is Additional Secretary, looks after North Europe in the Ministry of External Affairs. With that, I invite Secretary (West) to make his opening remarks. Sir.

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Thank you Randhir, Ambassador Anurag Bhushan, my colleague Madam Pooja Kapur, dear friends from the media, my colleagues, a very good evening to each one of you. It has been another very important day, a very successful day for the visit. We started early morning today in Netherlands. Honorable Prime Minister visited the special dyke in Netherlands where the sweet water is you know barricaded with the sea water. It's a special project, he visited that place with the Prime Minister of Netherlands. Then, Honorable Prime Minister was seen off at the airport by the Prime Minister of Netherlands. By noon, he arrived in Sweden at the airport.

As a special gesture, the Prime Minister of Sweden was at the airport to receive Honorable Prime Minister. Then, both of them traveled together to the hotel. Since then, till now, there have been continuous programs and Honorable Prime Minister of Sweden was present with the Prime Minister in all the programs. Just now, we left the dinner program. So it has been a very fruitful day today. Very hectic day, but very positive outcomes during the entire day of this short visit.

This is Prime Minister's second bilateral visit to Sweden, after his landmark visit in 2018 when Sweden hosted the first India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm. The visit in 2018 laid a solid foundation of India-Nordic relations and India-Sweden bilateral ties under the Innovation Partnership. This visit, the current visit, reflects the growing strategic convergence between India and Sweden, and increasing importance both countries attach to political and strategic dialogue, trade and investment, innovation led growth, trusted partnerships to build resilient supply chains, defence cooperation, green transition, sustainability, emerging technologies, digitalization and people-to-people ties. The visit witnessed substantive outcomes today.

This was Honorable Prime Minister's first visit to Europe after the India-EU FTA was agreed to earlier this year, and it is very important that he also addressed a huge business meeting today, which I will explain during the course of my briefing today. He also met President of the European Commission, Her Excellency Ursula von der Leyen, who was in New Delhi in January this year as the Chief Guest for the national day, Republic Day of India, during which we have finalized our India-EU FTA.

The Prime Minister Modi held the delegation-level talks with Prime Minister of Sweden, covering the full spectrum of bilateral relations as well as exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest. As you know, we are in very challenging times in the global geopolitical scene. Both leaders discussed that and also exchanged their views and concerns on the matter. The leaders have laid the framework of the strategic partnership first time. So, we have elevated our relationship to the strategic partnership today based on four key elements. Let me list it out. One, strategic dialogue for stability and security. Second, the next-generation economic partnership. Third, emerging technologies and trusted connectivity. Fourth, shaping tomorrow together - people, planet, health, and resilience.

The two leaders also adopted a Joint Action Plan for 2026-2030 to operationalize the strategic partnership, and both these documents have been released on the MEA website. I would urge you to go through that, because it details of this strategic partnership, and the action plan implementing that strategic partnership has been detailed in that. I would like to highlight another special gesture by the government by Sweden today in a special gesture for Prime Minister Modi's leadership in building India-Sweden relationship. The Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross was conferred upon Prime Minister Modi on behalf of His Majesty the King of Sweden by Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Victoria, who conferred it on the Honorable Prime Minister.

Let me mention that it is among Sweden's oldest and most distinguished honors, conferred upon foreign dignitaries and Heads of Government in recognition of exceptional public service and contribution towards strengthening relations with Sweden. The Honorable Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the honor and dedicated it to 1.4 billion people of India and to the enduring friendship between India and Sweden.

Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister of Sweden also interacted with select Swedish CEOs and underlined the importance of furthering our trade, technology, investment engagement, and it was attended by CEOs of major Swedish companies: Volvo, AstraZeneca, Saab, Ericsson, you know, these are some of the companies which were present at the roundtable, and as I said, Prime Minister of Sweden was also present at the roundtable meeting.

Another important event, I would say that the first major business meeting that Honorable Prime Minister attended with EU after the India-EU FTA was finalized was today at the European Round Table for Industry meeting, which also was addressed by the Prime Minister of Sweden and the President of the EU Commission, Madam Ursula von der Leyen. They attended that, and Prime Minister was the keynote speaker today at the event. European Round Table for Industry is a Pan-European forum representing prominent business and industry leaders from EU, EFTA, and the UK. We have finalized the FTA with the EU, we already have the TEPA with EFTA, and also Comprehensive Trade Agreement with the UK. So it's a very important meeting, and Prime Minister highlighted several important areas for cooperation where the Swedish industry can actually engage closely with India. He highlighted the telecom and the digital infrastructure sector. Second, he spoke about AI, semiconductors, electronics, and deep-tech manufacturing. Third, green transition, energy security, clean energy capacity. Fourth, infrastructure, mobility, and urban transformation. And of course, fifth, healthcare, life sciences. These are some of the areas that Prime Minister specifically mentioned in his keynote address to the European Round Table Industry, which was attended by a large number of key companies in Europe.

I would like to highlight that in his meetings today with the CEOs and other senior leaders from the business, they all highlighted about their interest. They have been observing India for the last few years. They have been investing in India for the last few years. What they have seen is a complete transformation in India in the last few years. They emphasized that. They spoke about the reforms which continued in India over the last several years and the reforms have led to transformation of India, and we are seeing key performances there. So, they are informed about it, Prime Minister emphasized it, but they all appreciated the transformation in India, and spoke about it, each one of them spoke about Viksit Bharat, in Hindi itself-Viksit Bharat; in Sanskrit itself they spoke about Viksit Bharat. So, they understand what is our vision, vision for 2047 as a developed India. And they all would like to grow with us, fully utilize the opportunities that India offers for growth, and they want to be partners in that. And they spoke about even Amrit Kaal. So, it's a very important meeting where we were able to interact very closely and Prime Minister invited all of them to continue to invest in India, continue to engage in India.

It is a very high complementarity we can see between the EU and India, between Europe and India. The innovation, which is happening, technology which is available in Europe, and India's scale. So, what we need and what we are looking at is a kind of scaling up at every stage, a quantum leap in our relationship with each of these countries and each of these companies.

Let me just mention a few outcomes. Some of them I already highlighted. Please go through the joint statement which is on the website, the Action Plan 2026-2030, which is on the website. Also, want to emphasize that we have decided to establish an India-Sweden Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0, which is a very important development and endorsement to jointly developing India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor. India's hosting of the AI Impact Summit was greatly appreciated. Almost every European country had actively participated. I remember around ten Heads of States, Heads of Government from Europe were present at the AI Summit, which was held in New Delhi where Prime Minister spoke about a human-centric artificial intelligence, which was appreciated by everyone. And today we have announced this India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor, SITAC, which is a very important development.

Another important area is doubling the bilateral economic exchange, trade and investment within the next five years. We already have a substantive trade and investment with Sweden, but the decision has been taken that we should work with business to make sure this is at least doubled in the next five years. Another focus area which came up during the discussions was SMEs. We have, almost all the major Swedish companies are present in India. There are 300 Swedish companies today present in India. What we are looking for, one, expanding their presence in India so that there could be more jobs, more technology transfer, more scale-up, more innovation, but also equally important is to have more SMEs, small and medium companies can come and participate in India's growth story, which was also agreed to.

And of course, then we discussed about enhancing the defence and security cooperation. You know, Sweden already has defence cooperation with India. So we have agreed to further strengthen that cooperation. We are formalizing a Cyber-Policy Dialogue between India and Sweden. Another important development we are working on to is establishing a Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism, enhancing dialogue on defence related matters, institutionalizing joint service staff talks, exploring possibilities for cooperation of defence innovation connected to the work in the joint working group of defence. So then, cooperation in AI, 5G, 6G, cyber security, quantum technologies and digital infrastructure. Another important area is enhanced cooperation in space.

In fact, I remember the Prime Minister of Sweden spoke about sky is not the limit in our relationship, in our business relationship, you know, and the President of the European Commission spoke about again the "mother of all deals" that is the India-EU FTA. So, it has been a very useful engagement today. Several meetings with the business, high-level interaction with the leadership, both of EU and also of Sweden. We agreed to have a new four-year phase of LeadIT. You know, LeadIT 2.0 is currently in operation but now we are looking at LeadIT 3.0. You know, it is the industry transition, focusing on climate-related issues. It is basically in our movement towards a zero-emission economy by 2070. We are moving in that direction. So, cooperation in climate action is another important area. We are also working and cooperating on ISA- International Solar Alliance, Mission LiFE, and how we can pursue green energy solutions through those formats.

And of course, you know, in our engagement with Sweden, the diaspora is a very important factor. There are around 90,000 Indians working in Sweden. I recall that the Prime Minister of Sweden was very appreciative of the constructive role they are actually playing in the Swedish economy in many sector including in the IT sector, AI sector was highlighted. So, it has been a very useful, very effective engagement. So, I think I would stop here. I would be very happy to take questions. Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: We open the floor for questions. Can we start from here?

Shyama Mishra, DD: Sir, Shyama Mishra from Doordarshan. You mentioned about SITAC. What would be the practical outcome of this for both the Swedish and the Indian side?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Please.

Arun, Prasar Bharati: Sir, I am Arun from Prasar Bharati. You mentioned about the space sector that both the leadership talked about, the European Commission President and also the Swedish leadership. So how are India…

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Spoke about?

Arun: Space.

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Space cooperation.

Arun: So how India and Sweden or India and EU are collaborating or going forward as far as space sector is concerned, sir.

Sakshi Singh, Akashvani: Sir, Sakshi Singh from Akashvani. Sir, when we talk about Make in India and Made with Sweden, so how these initiatives will advance when we're talking about the joint action plan 2026-30?

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Can you repeat the question?

Sakshi Singh, Akashvani: So, we have like Make in India and Made in Sweden, which was spoken again and again in today's visit. So, how these two initiatives will advance when we talk about the joint action plan between India and Sweden?

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Okay.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: I think, Sir we can take these questions and then come back for more if we have.

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Before I get into answering the questions, I wanted to mention about another special gesture which happened today, our Prime Minister and Prime Minister of Sweden exchanged special gifts, celebrating the shared cultural legacy of Rabindranath Tagore. In fact, the gift from Prime Minister of Sweden comprised a box containing two replicas of handwritten epigrams by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore accompanied by a small explanatory text and a photograph of Gurudev Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University in Sweden. The originals recently discovered in the Swedish National Archives were created by Gurudev Tagore during his visit to Sweden in 1921 and 1926, and this is the 100th anniversary of that visit of Gurudev Tagore. Prime Minister Modi presented to the Swedish Prime Minister a set of collected works of Rabindranath Tagore along with a specially handcrafted bag from Shantiniketan with motifs that Gurudev Tagore chose to empower local artisans. The bag symbolizes Tagore's philosophy that art is not meant to be confined to galleries but to breathe life into everyday objects, bridging the gap between the intellectual and the functional. So, I just wanted to highlight that important element.

Yeah, I'm happy to, as Ambassador reminded me that if you go through the Joint Action Plan, you will see that one of the important action points which we have agreed to is to commemorate the 2026, you know, that is the 100th anniversary of visit of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore by initiating the Tagore Sweden Lecture Series in Sweden as a platform to further strengthen India-Sweden cultural and intellectual engagement.

Now, you know, let me try to answer the question on the Joint Action Plan which was raised now since I'm talking about action plan. See, Make in India is a very successful program so far. It is converting India into a manufacturing hub. Each one of the business leaders and the political leaders whom Honorable Prime Minister spoke to thanked him for the initiative of Made in India and they all are currently partners in that in the Make in India program. Make in India, for India and for the world is the program. This is converting India into a manufacturing hub.

Again, the complementarity factor which I highlighted earlier, innovation, technology, you know, the three Ts- innovation, technology in Europe, in EU, in EFTA, in Sweden and the scale in India. It's a win-win situation. And this is part of our journey to become a developed country in the Amrit Kaal journey. So, each of these companies which are present, the 300, they are ready to further enhance their participation, more investment. There is already a commitment to increase, you know, the investment, double the investment in the next five years.

How do we do it? Governments have now established a framework already including through the fast clearance mechanism, which we are establishing between the Ministry of Commerce. A lot of, you know, efforts are being made in that direction. But then, you know, the actual implementation of this has to happen from the business community and that is what today in our round table, in our one-on-one meetings, like he had a meeting with the shipping company Maersk today. So that was a successful meeting, spoke about investment opportunities in India related to the maritime cooperation.

One example I can give you, how the business is planning to provoke. There would be several business engagements between the two countries. We are planning an India-Sweden Stronger Together Towards 2047 as a business roundtable, India-Sweden Business Leaders Roundtable will be held at that, you know, bilateral summit kind of business summit will be held. So, these kind of regular engagement would be happening between India and Sweden at the business-to-business level to make it implement the complementarities in innovation and the scale which is implemented.

Now referring to the question on SITAC, correct? SITAC. That is India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor. You know, connecting the AI ecosystems of India and Sweden to form an AI partnership for the future, leveraging successful AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February and, you know, the purpose is to connect the business again. Let me emphasize that the Swedish delegation to India for the AI Summit was accompanied by 75 companies already, you know, they were part of this. So, mutual collaboration engagement is happening in that which will be continued.

What was the other question? On space? Again, a very important very important sector. When you say that sky is not the limit, that means we are cooperating and working in the space sector. The Prime Ministers expressed their commitment. Let me read from the joint statement which was issued today which explains the space cooperation. Their commitment to pursue enhanced cooperation on space and geospatial technologies, taking note of India's role as a leading space nation and the role of Sweden's Esrange Space Center. In fact, the Swedish Prime Minister in his address to the press conference today, you know, highlighted about India's Chandrayaan mission and, you know, how India was one of those very few countries which has actually sent a vehicle to the moon. They also, the leaders also welcomed collaboration between Indian Space Research Organisation and Swedish Institute of Space Physics on India's Venus Orbiter Mission. There would be an involvement of Sweden in that mission.

Also, I want to highlight, you know, a lot of startups have now working on each of these sectors: space, robotics, drones, AI. You know, so there is huge opportunity in this engagement which is happening today. Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So, with that, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your presence. We will be leaving for our next destination Norway tomorrow morning, and you can follow us for the rest of the tour on this visit subsequently through our social media handles and we'll also be keeping you abreast with press briefings throughout the rest of the visit. Thank you very much.

Shri Sibi George, Secretary (West): Thank you.

Gothenburg
May 17, 2026