Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-nation tour spanning the Gulf and Europe from May 15 to 20, in a high-stakes push to deepen India’s strategic, economic and technological partnerships amid a rapidly shifting global order.
The visit — covering the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy — comes at a time when New Delhi is aggressively expanding its trade and technology footprint across Europe while consolidating energy and diaspora ties in West Asia.
Officials said the tour would focus heavily on trade, investment, green technology, defence cooperation, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and resilient supply chains, with the recently concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement expected to dominate discussions across European capitals.
Modi will begin the tour in Abu Dhabi, where he will hold talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on energy security, investment and the welfare of the 4.5 million-strong Indian diaspora. The UAE remains India’s third-largest trading partner and a critical strategic ally in the Gulf.
In the second leg, Modi will travel to the Netherlands for talks with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and meetings with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.
The visit is expected to strengthen cooperation in water management, semiconductors, green hydrogen, innovation and defence. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at nearly USD 28 billion in 2024-25.
From there, the Prime Minister will head to Gothenburg in Sweden for talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and participation in the European Round Table for Industry alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Discussions are expected to centre on AI, climate transition, emerging technologies, startups and defence manufacturing.
The Norway leg assumes significance as it will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Norway in more than four decades, the last such visit having taken place in 1983.
In Oslo, Modi will participate in the 3rd India-Nordic Summit alongside leaders from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway. The summit is expected to sharpen India’s engagement with the Nordic bloc in clean energy, Arctic cooperation, blue economy, sustainability and advanced technologies.
Announcing the visit, the Norwegian government described India as a key global partner amid growing geopolitical uncertainty and underscored New Delhi’s rising role in climate action, technology, trade and international security.
“India is the world’s largest democracy and the world’s most populous country. India plays a central role on climate, technology, trade and international security,” Støre said, adding that the visit highlighted the importance of cooperation between India, Norway and the Nordic region “in these times of global instability”.
During the visit, Modi and Støre will jointly interact with Indian and Norwegian industry leaders at the Norway-India Business and Research Summit, where discussions are expected to focus on trade, investment, clean energy, maritime cooperation and emerging technologies.
Modi is also scheduled to meet Norway’s King Harald V during the visit.
The final stop will be Italy, where Modi will meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella amid growing strategic convergence between New Delhi and Rome. Officials said both sides would review progress under the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, with focus areas including defence, innovation, clean energy and trade.
The multi-country tour is being viewed in diplomatic circles as one of India’s most consequential outreach efforts to Europe in recent years, reflecting New Delhi’s attempt to position itself as a key economic and geopolitical partner amid intensifying global competition and supply-chain realignments.
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