Copenhagen [Denmark], May 4 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met his Iceland counterpart Katrin Jakobsdottir ahead of the 2nd India-Nordic Summit in Copenhagen.
Both leaders discussed boosting ties in areas like trade, energy, fisheries and more.
“Prime Minister @narendramodi held talks with PM @katrinjak of Iceland. They discussed boosting ties in areas like trade, energy, fisheries and more,” tweeted the office of the Prime Minister of India.
Both leaders discussed ways to further strengthen economic cooperation, especially in the sectors of geothermal energy, Blue Economy, Arctic, renewable energy, fisheries, food processing, education including digital universities, and culture.
Geothermal energy, in particular, is an area where Iceland has special expertise, and both sides stressed collaboration between universities of both countries in this sector, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release.
Prime Minister lauded Prime Minister Jakobsdottir’s personal efforts at promoting gender equality and briefed her on India’s advances in this regard.
Discussions also took place on expediting the India – EFTA trade negotiations as well as on regional and global developments, added the release.
Earlier, PM Modi met his Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson where both sides reviewed the progress made in the bilateral partnership.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders. Both leaders also discussed possibilities of deepening cooperation in areas like innovation, climate technology, climate action, green hydrogen, space, defence, civil aviation, Arctic, polar research, sustainable mining and trade and economic ties.
Ahead of the India-Nordic summit set to take place on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on the final leg of his 3-day Europe visit, holds bilateral talks with Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store.
Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister’s Office wrote, “Boosting friendship with Norway. Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @jonasgahrstore meet in Copenhagen. They are taking stock of the full range of bilateral relations between the two nations and ways to deepen developmental cooperation.”
PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Iceland and Finland. “On the side-lines of the Summit, I will also meet the leaders of the other four Nordic countries and review the progress in India’s bilateral relations with them,” PM Modi had said.
Following the bilateral talks, PM Modi will participate in the India-Nordic summit in Denmark, before departing for Paris to meet the newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron on the final day of his 3-day Europe visit on Wednesday.
The second India-Nordic summit will see the participation of the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway, and will follow up on the first summit that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018.
“The Summit will focus on subjects like post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change, innovation and technology, renewable energy, the evolving global security scenario, and India-Nordic cooperation in the Arctic region,” PM Modi had said in his departure statement before embarking on the three-day visit on Sunday.
Following the summit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to make a brief stopover in Paris for a meeting with Emmanuel Macron, the newly re-elected President of France. (ANI)