India-Nordic summit postponed amid COVID-19 worries

The second India-Nordic summit that was to physically take place in June has been postponed since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t be travelling abroad amid the pandemic.

The summit was to take place in Denmark and would include all five Nordic countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.

“It is no secret that PM Modi is not travelling in June, so, therefore, the India-Nordic summit has been postponed,” said the ambassador of Denmark Freddy Svane at a virtual meet hosted by the India Writes Network.

The physical summit is expected to happen later and a “timespan” is being looked into.

The first India Nordic summit took place in Sweden’s capital Stockholm in April 2018 and is a unique format that brings together India along with all the countries in the Nordic region.

A similar format was aligned with the US in May 2016 when the then US President Obama held meetings with Nordic countries.

New Delhi has been increasing its engagement with the Nordics or the northern European countries, which are known for clean technology, renewables, and a high standard of living.

Since last year, Indian PM Modi has had virtual summits with three Nordic countries – Denmark, Sweden, and Finland which is highest in any specific region of the world.

Earlier, Indian PM Modi was to travel to the UK as well to participate in the G7 leaders meet in June. India’s ministry of external affairs announced earlier this month that the visit stands cancelled “given the prevailing COVID-19 situation.”

India was invited as a guest to participate at the G7 by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is the chair of the grouping. This is is the third time in a row that India is being invited for G7, first by the French in 2019, Americans in 2020 and now the British this year.