External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that India's engagement with the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) nations has significantly strengthened in recent years, with a focus on establishing “appropriate institutional frameworks” to foster closer business-to-business cooperation with countries in the group.
Addressing the second CII India Nordic Baltic Business Conclave in the national capital, Jaishankar highlighted the expansion of India's connections with NB8 nations. “We inaugurated our embassies in Tallinn in December 2021 and in Vilnius in March this year,” he said, further mentioning that India will soon open a resident embassy in Latvia, while Finland has recently established a consulate in Mumbai.
Jaishankar underscored the increased mobility between India and Finland, citing direct flights that facilitate movement between the two countries. He also mentioned the establishment of institutional frameworks with NB8 countries to promote closer business-to-business cooperation, particularly with Finland, where sustainability partnerships, digitalization, and education dialogues have been initiated.
“With Denmark, our green strategic partnership is strengthening, facilitating collaborations in water solutions, wind energy, green hydrogen, and agriculture. We also look forward to stronger cooperation with the Faroe Islands and with Greenland,” Jaishankar noted regarding India's relations with Denmark.
Highlighting the LeadIT initiative, he mentioned its success in the past few years, with 18 nations and 19 major global companies joining India's leadership for industry transition with Sweden. “More than 260 Swedish companies are in India, working in innovation, construction, defence, and clean technology,” he added.
(Inputs from ANI)
