Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his visit to three countries beginning on Monday is meant to strengthen the spirit of cooperation with India’s European partners at a time when the region faces many challenges and choices.Apart from the bilaterals and roundtable meeting, the PM will also meet persons of Indian origin which PM Modi described as an important anchor in New Delhi’s relations with Europe.
The first leg of the visit to Germany will be an early engagement with the new government within six months of its formation. It will be helpful to identify our priorities for the medium and long term, the PM said in his pre-departure statement.After visiting Berlin on May 2, the PM will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark, from May 3 to 4, 2022, to hold bilateral engagements and also participate in the Second India-Nordic Summit. On the way back to India, he will make a brief stopover in Paris on May 4 for a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.“My visit to Berlin will be an opportunity to hold detailed bilateral discussions with Chancellor Scholz, whom I met at G20 last year. We will co-chair the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC), a unique biennial format which India conducts only with Germany,’’ noted the PM.
Several Ministers will accompany the PM to Germany for consultations with their counterparts.In Copenhagen, besides a bilateral meeting with PM Frederiksen, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community and participate in the 2nd India-Nordic Summit along with PMs Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway to take stock of cooperation since the First India-Nordic Summit in 2018. Nordic countries are important partners for India in sustainability, renewable energy, digitisation and innovation.On the return journey, the PM will stopover in Paris to meet President Macron just 10 days after he was re-elected. “This will also give us the opportunity to set the tone of the next phase of the India-France Strategic Partnership,’’ said PM Modi.
