India's Strategic Engagement with Northern Europe

India and the countries of Northern Europe, primarily the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland) and the Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia) share huge convergences and complementarities.

- Prof. Kakoli Sengupta & Sagarika Mondal

India’s convergences with the Nordic countries lie in democratic values, pluralism, climate change and the environment, promotion of global peace and security, freedom of speech and expression, and promotion of human rights. With the Baltic countries, India has strong historical connections and common linguistic roots.

The First India-Nordic Summit held in Stockholm, Sweden in April 2018 reiterated India and the Nordic countries’ commitment towards cooperation in global security, economic growth, innovation and climate change. The summit re-energised the Nordic Sustainable Cities Project, aimed at supporting the Smart Cities Program of the Government of India. India and Iceland signed an agreement for the establishment of the ICCR Chair for Hindi language between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the University of Iceland. India and Sweden also signed an agreement related to an innovation partnership for a sustainable future. The second India-Nordic Summit was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May 2022. During the Summit, the Prime Ministers of India and the Nordic countries pledged to continue to deepen cooperation between the Nordic countries and India.

They focused their discussions on key issues related to international peace and security, including the conflict in Ukraine, multilateral cooperation, green transition and climate change, the blue economy, innovation and digitalisation. The Prime Ministers discussed the destabilising effect of the conflict in Ukraine and its broader regional and global implications. The Nordic Countries reiterated their support for India’s Permanent Membership in a reformed and expanded Security Council.