Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed gratitude to his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store for welcoming him at the airport and expressed confidence that his visit will strengthen the friendship between two nations.
PM Modi arrived in Norway for a two-day official visit after concluding his visit to Sweden. This is PM Modi’s first visit to Norway and will also mark the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Norway in 43 years.
“Landed in Oslo, Norway. I’m grateful to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre for the warm welcome at the airport. This is the first Prime Ministerial visit to Norway in over four decades. I’m confident it will add vigour to the India-Norway friendship,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
“I will call on Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja and hold talks with Prime Minister Støre. Tomorrow, on the 19th, the 3rd India-Nordic Summit will take place in Oslo, presenting a wonderful opportunity to meet my Nordic counterparts,” he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called Norway a “valued partner” for India and stated that PM Modi’s visit will add fresh vigour to the partnership between the two nations.
“God morgen Norge! Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Oslo, Norway. In a special gesture, he was received by PM Jonas Gahr Store at the airport. This is PM Modi’s first visit to Norway and a Prime Ministerial visit from India to Norway in 43 years,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
“Norway is a valued partner for India. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral engagements, and tomorrow will participate in the 3rd India-Nordic Summit. The visit is set to add fresh vigour to the India-Norway partnership,” he added.
The MEA said that the visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress made in India-Norway relations and explore avenues to further strengthen them, with a focus on trade and investment, capitalising on the India – EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, as well as on clean and green tech and blue economy.
“The visit will also be an opportunity to induce momentum in bilateral trade worth around $2.73 billion (2024), and investments by Norway’s Government Pension Fund (GPFG) of close to $28 billion in the Indian capital market,” the MEA added.
(With IANS inputs)
