Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Norway on Monday on the fourth leg of his five-nation tour, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Nordic country in more than four decades.
The visit forms part of PM Modi’s broader diplomatic outreach across the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy, aimed at strengthening India’s global partnerships amid growing geopolitical uncertainty and economic realignments.
Calling the visit “historic”, Norwegian Ambassador to India May-Elin Stener described it as “a landmark moment” in bilateral ties, noting that both India and the world have changed dramatically since the last visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway 43 years ago.
Today, India is the world’s most populous nation, the largest democracy and the fourth-largest economy — a country increasingly central to global strategic and economic conversations. PM Modi’s visit reflects a growing recognition within Nordic Europe of India’s rising global influence.
The centrepiece of the Oslo visit will be the third India-Nordic Summit, where PM Modi will meet the leaders of all five Nordic nations — Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden.
The summit, first held in Stockholm in 2018 and later in Copenhagen in 2022, is expected to acquire a sharper strategic dimension this year against the backdrop of global instability and shifting geopolitical alignments.
Discussions are expected to focus on green transition, renewable energy, digitalisation, defence cooperation, space collaboration, sustainability and Arctic policy.
On the bilateral front, PM Modi is scheduled to hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and also call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The two Prime Ministers will jointly address the India-Norway Business and Research Summit.
Economic ties between India and Norway have expanded steadily in recent years. Bilateral trade currently stands at around USD 2.73 billion, while Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global — the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund — has invested nearly USD 28 billion in Indian capital markets.
Trade between India and the Nordic region as a whole is estimated at nearly USD 19 billion.
The visit also comes against the backdrop of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in March 2024 and now operational. The agreement provides near-zero tariff access for Norwegian exports to India in sectors such as renewable energy, maritime technologies and healthcare solutions.
In return, over 99 per cent of Indian exports gain duty-free access to EFTA markets, providing a boost to sectors including textiles, engineering goods and chemicals, while also easing mobility for Indian professionals and IT services.
