New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) The recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of five Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark — in Oslo, carries immense geopolitical significance as countries seek new economic and strategic partnerships amid rising global fragmentation and conflict-driven economic pressures, a report has said.

The meeting took place several months after India and the European Union signed a free trade agreement and roughly a year after India finalised a trade and economic partnership agreement with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, according to global media network Vision Times.

Leaders at the summit also discussed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, along with cooperation in areas including the blue economy, circular economy, digital infrastructure, AI, climate action, energy security, water management, research and education, healthcare, defense, and space and geospatial sectors, the article points out.

The article cites analysts as saying that the summit reflects India’s effort to strengthen ties with northern Europe as geopolitical competition between the United States, China, and Russia intensifies.

Ljubisa Ivanovic, a Belgrade-based journalist, told Vision Times that New Delhi is seeking broader strategic partnerships as it works to preserve its “strategic autonomy.”

“With the upcoming ‘clash’ or bitter rivalry between the USA and the West on one side, and China on the other, India has chosen the West,” Ivanovic said.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip could strengthen India’s strategic role in northern Europe and connect New Delhi more closely to emerging geopolitical issues in the region.

He expects the relationship to strengthen, especially in the backdrop of difficult relations between India and China, and Pakistan which is a proxy of China.

The article also cites Priyajit Debsarkar, a London-based author and geopolitical analyst, as saying that Europe is increasingly searching for alternative economic partners following shifts in global trade patterns and tariff disputes. India, he said, offers an attractive alternative because of its democratic institutions and legal framework.

“The fundamental principles driving the Indian economy are still based on democracy values and the Rule of law, in contrast to that of China,” Debsarkar told Vision Times.

–IANS

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