India, Norway sign 12 pacts, upgrade ties to Green Partnership

India and Norway signed 12 agreements during PM Narendra Modi's visit, elevating their ties to a Green Strategic Partnership. The cooperation will expand across climate, technology, maritime, space, digital, and health sectors.

India and Norway on Monday marked a significant upgrade in bilateral ties with the signing of 12 agreements and initiatives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the Nordic country, signalling a broad expansion of cooperation across climate, technology, maritime, and scientific domains.

The visit marked a major upgrade in India-Norway relations, with both sides agreeing to elevate the partnership to a Green Strategic Partnership, underscoring a shared commitment to sustainable development, clean energy transition, and green industrial growth.

A Joint Statement was adopted in this regard, focusing on climate action, circular economy initiatives, and leveraging Norwegian technological expertise alongside India's scale and manufacturing strengths, as per a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Strategic and Sector-Specific Cooperation

Maritime and Indo-Pacific Security

Among the major outcomes, Norway formally joined the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, strengthening cooperation on maritime security and reaffirming support for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Blue Economy and Shipping

India will also participate in Nor-Shipping 2027 with a dedicated India Pavilion, aimed at expanding cooperation in the blue economy, including shipbuilding, green shipping technologies, and modern port infrastructure.

Space and Digital Partnerships

In the domain of space cooperation, both countries signed an agreement on the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, enabling enhanced institutional collaboration between space agencies and encouraging greater investment in the sector.

A key highlight of the visit was the launch of the India-Norway Digital Development Partnership, which will promote cooperation on digital public infrastructure, digital public goods, and open digital ecosystems. The partnership is expected to support India's Digital India mission and facilitate DPI-led transformation in Global South countries in collaboration with Norway.

Health and Infrastructure

In the health sector, an agreement was reached to establish structured cooperation through a Joint Working Group, enabling collaboration between medical and research institutions for joint projects and knowledge sharing.

Infrastructure cooperation was also strengthened through an agreement on specialized consultancy services for tunnel construction, slope stability, and capacity building, focusing on geotechnical expertise for road and highway projects, including technical consultancy and safety audits.

Deepening Scientific and Technological Ties

Another agreement on technology cooperation will promote joint research in clean energy, climate action, healthcare, and the blue economy while encouraging the exchange of scientists and experts between both countries.

CSIR-SINTEF Collaboration

Scientific collaboration received a major boost with a partnership between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, and Stiftelsen SINTEF, Norway. The collaboration will focus on sustainable development solutions, including bio-based materials, ocean energy, carbon capture, and circular economy innovations, as per the MEA.

Ocean Energy and Green Transition

In a related development, a project-specific implementation agreement was signed to advance cooperation in ocean energy, including offshore wind and wave energy technologies, aimed at developing sustainable deep-water renewable energy systems.

Further strengthening academic and research ties, an agreement on Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation for the Green Transition will promote mobility of students, researchers, and faculty while expanding joint research initiatives in sustainability-focused domains.

Geosciences for Infrastructure

Finally, scientific collaboration in geosciences and infrastructure planning will be enhanced through a partnership between CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, and Emerald Geomodelling AS, Norway, enabling advanced geoscientific support for large-scale infrastructure development.

PM Modi on Strengthened Partnership

The 12 outcomes collectively reflect a deepening of India-Norway relations, with a strong emphasis on green growth, innovation, and strategic cooperation across emerging sectors.

According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these outcomes are expected to add new strength to India-Norway relations, reaffirming commitment to advancing a forward-looking agenda focused on green growth, innovation and strategic cooperation. "These outcomes will add new strength to a partnership rooted in trust, sustainability and shared aspirations. Key outcomes include the Green Strategic Partnership and deeper cooperation in space, digital technologies, health, capacity building and other future-orientated sectors," the PM stated in a post on X.

These come as part of Prime Minister Modi's five-nation tour, which also included the Nordic country. PM Modi is in Norway in the fourth leg of his five-nation visit. He reached Oslo after visiting the UAE, the Netherlands and Sweden. During the visit, PM Modi will take part in the third India-Nordic Summit. He is on a five-nation tour from May 15 to 20 and is scheduled to visit Italy in the last leg of his tour. (ANI)

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