India, Denmark sign four agreements following PM Modi's meet with Danish counterpart

Following the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, India and Denmark reached four agreements, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday, 9 October. In the official release of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) inked between both the countries MEA said that the first was signed between the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Aarhus University, Denmark and Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

The first MoU between India and Denmark is on the mapping of groundwater resources and aquifers. The second agreement is signed over the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Access Agreement between the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office. The third was between the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Danfoss Industries Private Limited to establish a Centre of Excellence towards natural refrigerants for tropical climates with potential applications, said MEA.

Meanwhile, the fourth MoU was the Joint Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark. Apart from PM Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also met with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and noted that her India visit will elevate the Green Strategic Partnership between both nations. 

India-Denmark committed to increasing cooperation

Meanwhile, in the joint press conference with the Danish PM, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the relationship between both nations. He noted that even though both leaders met in person for the first time, amid COVID-19 the communication remained “steady.” On Saturday, PM Modi said, “Today's meeting may have been our first face-to-face meeting, but even during the Corona period, the pace of contact and cooperation between India and Denmark remained steady. In fact, a year ago today, in our Virtual Summit, we took the historic decision to establish a Green Strategic Partnership between India and Denmark. This is a reflection of the foresight of both of our countries and respect for the environment.” 

He added, “Today we not only reviewed the progress made under this partnership, but also reiterated our commitment to increasing cooperation on climate change in the near future. In this context, it is a great pleasure that Denmark has become a member of the International Solar Alliance. This has added a new dimension to our cooperation.”

IMAGE: Twitter/AP