Sweden PM renews pitch on Gripen
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has listed Smart cities, water treatment, waste management, circular economy, smart grids, e-mobility, digital transformation and several other tech-driven sectors that have potential to deepen the India-Sweden partnership.
Modi told Swedish premier Stefan Lofven, “We can further our relationship in innovation, technology, investment, start-ups and research.”
The two leaders held India-Sweden virtual summit on 5 Mar 2021.
Lofven, in returned, renewed the Swedish pitch for Gripen fighter aircraft, Times of India reported.
Saab, the builder of Gripen, has the full backing of Swedish government and would offer “technology transfer”, one of the conditions that India needs in any international defence equipment acquisition.
Modi told his counterpart to work together climate change on a priority basis.
“India’s culture has always stressed the importance of living in harmony with nature. We are moving ahead on our commitments made under the Paris Agreement.”
Amongst G20 countries, India has progressed well on its targets. In the last five years, our renewable power capacity has increased by 162%,” he said.
The Indian Prime Minister welcomed Sweden’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance.
This was the fifth interaction between the leaders since 2015, Secretary (West) External Affairs Ministry Vikas Swarup told media after the summit.
Both the leaders reaffirmed in a statement their strong commitment to work for multilateralism, rules-based international order, counter terrorism and peace and security.
They also acknowledged the growing salience of India’s partnership with the European Union and EU countries.
The two leaders reviewed the extensive ongoing engagement between India and Sweden, and expressed satisfaction at the implementation of the Joint Action Plan and Joint Innovation Partnership agreed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sweden in 2018. They explored avenues of further diversifying the themes under the rubric of these partnerships.
The leaders also noted the growing member-ship of the India-Sweden joint initiative – the Leadership Group on Industry Transition (LeadIT) that was launched during the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 in New York. #sweden #investment #manufacturing #renewables #climate #projects #environment #defence /fiinews.com
