PM Modi In Gothenburg: India, Sweden Vow Deeper Defence Ties, Anti-Terror Cooperation And Green Industry Push

Gothenburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the third stop of his 5-nation tour, placed counter-terrorism cooperation and industrial collaboration at the centre of India’s ties with Sweden. He held high-level talks in Gothenburg on Sunday with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The visit combined formal diplomacy with business outreach, as PM Modi addressed a CEO round table hosted by Volvo Group and received Sweden’s highest honour for a foreign head of government.

Speaking to European industry leaders, Prime Minister Modi stressed that the closeness between India and Sweden carries added weight in the current international situation, citing shared democratic values and converging security concerns. He thanked Kristersson for Sweden’s support after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, in which 26 innocent people were killed by the terrorists of a Pakistan-sponsored terror group. The PM also reaffirmed that New Delhi and Stockholm would continue to fight together against terrorism and those who enable it.

The Gothenburg engagements also outlined the advances in India-Sweden relations from a traditional buyer-seller dynamic to a long-term industrial partnership, particularly in defence manufacturing. PM Modi’s programme included delegation-level talks, a community reception by the Indian diaspora, and the signing of cooperation frameworks that link directly to India’s ambitions in green transition, digital technology and water management.

Terrorism And Defence On Top Of The Agenda

At the CEO Round Table, the Indian Prime Minister said that in “today’s tense global environment, close cooperation between democracies like India and Sweden holds special significance”. He noted that both countries agree that terrorism poses a grave challenge to all of humanity. “I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Kristersson for the support we received from Sweden following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam last year. We will continue our fight against terrorism and its supporters,” he stated.

The Pahalgam attack on April 22 last year killed 25 Indian nationals and 1 Nepalese citizen. A group of terrorists shot dead innocent tourists in Pahalgam after confirming their religion, drawing massive criticism from countries across the globe. India responded in the intervening night of May 6 and 7 with ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting at least 9 terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). PM Modi’s remarks in Gothenburg linked that response to a major call for international alignment against cross-border terrorism.

In addition, the defence cooperation also featured prominently in the delegation-level talks with Swedish Premier Kristersson. Prime Minister Modi asserted that the sector is “continuously expanding” and pointed to Swedish firms establishing production facilities in India as evidence of a deeper relationship. “We are moving beyond a mere buyer-seller relationship towards a long-term industrial partnership,” he said, framing the change as central to both countries’ strategic and economic goals.

India-EU Trade Agenda

The European CEO round table brought together Kristersson, von der Leyen, senior European industry leaders and representatives from Indian and European firms. The Indian PM expressed gratitude to von der Leyen for attending, recalling her January visit to India when both sides took “several historic decisions aimed at elevating India-EU relations to new heights”. He said that progress was being made on those outcomes and outlined the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a catalyst for future growth.

“The India-EU FTA will unlock new opportunities for industries, investors, and innovators. To quote Ursula, this is the ‘Mother of All Deals’,” PM Modi said. The agreement is expected to lower barriers for trade in goods, services and investment, with the officials in both capitals pointing to sectors such as clean technology, pharmaceuticals, automotive components and digital services as likely beneficiaries.

The trade between India and Sweden reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025, providing a foundation for talks on expanding collaboration in green transition, artificial intelligence (AI), startups, resilient supply chains, defence manufacturing, space, climate initiatives and people-to-people exchanges. The prime minister emphasised that he looked forward to advancing cooperation in investments, innovation and defence, building on the momentum from his last visit to Sweden in 2018 for the inaugural India-Nordic Summit.

Sweden's Royal Honour For PM Modi

The highlight of the day was PM Modi’s conferral with Sweden’s ‘Royal Order of Polar Star Commander Grand Cross’, the Scandinavian nation’s highest award for a foreign head of government. The honour, established in 1748, recognises exceptional contributions to Sweden and Swedish interests, particularly in public service and international cooperation. The honour in Sweden marked the 31st international award PM Narendra Modi has received from a foreign country.

The award ceremony explained the diplomatic weight Stockholm has placed on the visit. Earlier, PM Modi’s aircraft was escorted by Swedish Air Force fighter jets as it entered Swedish airspace, and Kristersson personally received him at Gothenburg Airport. The two leaders then held delegation-level talks reviewing the full spectrum of bilateral relations and exploring new areas for cooperation.

PM Modi's Indian Diaspora Engagement

Arriving at his hotel in Gothenburg, PM Modi was greeted by a large gathering of the Indian diaspora waving national flags. The reception featured a traditional Bengali cultural performance, with women in traditional attire presenting folk dances and ceremonial rituals. Swedish opera singer Charlotta Huldt performed the bhajan ‘Vaishnava Jana To’, while students of Lilla Akademien staged a Bharatanatyam recital. Bengali cultural traditions were also showcased in the presence of Kristersson, highlighting the BJP's massive victory in the recently concluded West Bengal elections. 

PM Modi later said on social media that Bengali culture enjoys popularity across the world, including in Sweden, using the moment to underline people-to-people ties as a pillar of the relationship.

Kalpasar And Water Cooperation With The Netherlands

Earlier in the tour, the prime minister visited the Netherlands and toured the Afsluitdijk, the 32-km barrier dam that protects low-lying areas from the North Sea and creates a freshwater reservoir. He called the technology “highly worthy of learning”, noting similarities with Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project in the Gulf of Khambhat.

In the presence of PM Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, a Letter of Intent was signed between India’s Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for technical cooperation on Kalpasar. The project looks to build a dam across the Gulf of Khambhat to capture the waters of 7 rivers, creating a freshwater reservoir while integrating tidal power, irrigation and transport links.

The Kalpasar scheme, first conceptualised by Prime Minister Modi during his time as Gujarat Chief Minister, seeks to provide irrigation to around 10 lakh hectares across 42 talukas in 9 Saurashtra districts. It is also expected to generate around 1500 MW of wind energy and 1000 MW of solar energy, cut the road distance between South Gujarat and Saurashtra from 240 km to 60 km, and boost tourism and fisheries.

The technical work has drawn on expertise from Dutch maritime engineering firm Royal Haskoning, and the recent agreement builds on the India-Dutch Strategic Partnership on Water established in the year 2022 on March 29. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the collaboration would give India access to more than 90 years of Dutch experience in marine dam construction and water management.

PM Modi's Major European Outreach

Sweden was the second stop on PM Modi’s 4-nation European tour, following a visit to the Netherlands, where 17 agreements were signed on defence, critical minerals and other sectors. He is scheduled to travel to Norway on May 18 and later to Italy to conclude the engagements.

The officials informed that the Gothenburg programme was designed to anchor cooperation in commercial trade, technological innovation, defence paradigms and emerging sectors, while also addressing shared global priorities such as climate adaptation and secure supply chains. By combining counter-terrorism messaging, industrial partnerships and high-level business outreach, the visit sought to present India as both a security partner and an investment destination for European firms.