Press Statement by the Prime Minister during the Joint Press Statement at the Third India-Nordic Summit

📌 Summary:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Joint Press Statement at the Third India-Nordic Summit, hosted by Norway, marking 8 years since the India-Nordic format was created in 2018.

• India-Nordic bilateral trade has grown nearly four-fold in 10 years; investment from Nordic countries into India rose about 200% over the past decade, creating thousands of jobs in both regions.

• Two major trade agreements underpin ties: the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), in force since October 2025 (covering Norway and Iceland), and the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (covering Denmark, Finland and Sweden).

• Leaders agreed to elevate ties into a Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership, linking Iceland's geothermal and fisheries strengths, Norway's blue economy and Arctic expertise, Sweden's advanced manufacturing and defence, Finland's telecom and digital technology, and Denmark's cybersecurity and health-tech with India's scale and talent.

• Cooperation will deepen in research and innovation (university-lab-startup linkages), Arctic and polar research, and skill development and talent mobility.

• On global issues, India and the Nordic countries backed a rules-based global order, urged an early end to conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, called multilateral reform necessary and urgent, and reaffirmed a united stand against terrorism with no compromise and no double standards.

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — International Relations; bilateral and regional groupings and agreements. The summit illustrates India's engagement with a strategically important bloc, the role of FTAs in foreign policy, and India's positions on global-order reform and terrorism.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The five Nordic countries are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.

• The India-EFTA TEPA has been in force since October 2025; EFTA members are Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

• The 3rd India-Nordic Summit was hosted by Norway; the India-Nordic format was launched with the first summit in 2018.

🔑 Key Term: India-Nordic Summit — a leaders-level dialogue format launched in 2018 between India and the five Nordic countries, focused on green technology, innovation, the Arctic and sustainable development.