New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on the third leg of his five-nation tour as he travels to Gothenburg, Sweden, on Sunday at the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

The visit (on May 17-18) is expected to further deepen India-Sweden ties across trade, innovation, green technologies and emerging sectors.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “Prime Minister had earlier visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit.”

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Kristersson to review the full spectrum of India-Sweden relations and identify new opportunities for cooperation in key sectors. The MEA stated that the leaders will “explore new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which has reached USD 7.75 billion (2025), and Swedish FDI into India which has reached USD 2.825 billion (2000–2025).”

The discussions are expected to focus on collaboration in green transition, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence manufacturing, space cooperation, climate action and strengthening people-to-people ties. Sweden is regarded as one of Europe’s leading innovation-driven economies, and both countries are looking to expand strategic cooperation in future-oriented sectors.

A major highlight of the visit will be the participation of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Kristersson at the European Round Table for Industry, a prominent pan-European platform of business leaders. The two leaders will address the gathering alongside Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

The Sweden visit comes immediately after PM Modi concluded his official two-day visit to the Netherlands earlier on Saturday at the invitation of his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten.

This marked PM Modi’s second visit to the Netherlands.

On May 16, PM Modi was hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima at the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague for a bilateral meeting, followed by a luncheon in his honour.

Prime Minister Jetten and PM Modi later held restricted and delegation-level talks, followed by a dinner meeting on the evening of May 16.

Both Prime Ministers recalled the longstanding historical trade linkages, deep-rooted people-to-people ties and robust bilateral relations between India and the Netherlands. They expressed a shared commitment to further deepen cooperation across multiple sectors.

The two leaders also welcomed the progress achieved through regular high-level interactions and collaboration during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 and the AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi in February 2026.

Acknowledging the growing momentum in bilateral relations and increasing strategic convergence, India and the Netherlands decided to elevate their ties to the level of a “Strategic Partnership.”

–IANS

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