Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla praises PM Modi's five-nation tour as 'very significant,' highlighting how it enhanced India's economic, tech, and defence ties with the UAE and European nations amid global volatility.
Former Foreign Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla has termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing five-nation tour as "very significant," noting that it successfully elevated India's economic, technological, and defence partnerships during a period of acute global volatility.
The Prime Minister's high-profile transit, spanning the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy from May 15 to 20, comes at a time when the international community is navigating severe geopolitical headwinds, including conflicts in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine war.
UAE Partnership: Investment and Defence Cooperation
Speaking to ANI, Shringla detailed how each leg of the Prime Minister's itinerary unlocks specific, long-term sectoral benefits for India. Highlighting the PM Modi's first stop in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Shringla said the visit was important as the UAE reaffirmed its confidence in India despite regional instability.
Despite facing regional instability and economic pressure from ongoing security threats, the UAE reaffirmed its deep geopolitical trust in India. The Gulf nation committed a massive $5 billion investment into the Indian economy. Both nations are advancing a landmark framework defence cooperation agreement expected to transform bilateral military ties.
"Well, I think it's very significant because each country that the Prime Minister has visited so far has represented a separate, I would say, level of exchange that has brought benefits to us. Start with the UAE, where the Prime Minister made a short stopover visit, but a very significant one, because, you know, we are talking about a partnership that involves investment. The UAE, at a time when they are under attack, at a time when their economy has been very, very badly affected, has shown confidence in India by saying, 'we will invest $5 billion in your economy.' They are talking about a defence cooperation, a framework defence cooperation agreement that will enhance our defence ties in ways that we can't envisage," said Shringla.
Shringla further said India and the UAE were also working to expand trade and strategic cooperation, describing the Gulf nation as an "important partner" for India and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council. "We are talking about, with the UAE, working on several areas that would enhance our trade and other exchanges that are important to us. The UAE has become an important partner. And we value that relationship as we value our relationship with the entire Gulf Cooperation Council members," Shringla said.
Netherlands: A High-Tech and Climate Partner
The Netherlands has solidified its status as a cornerstone for India's high-tech and climate ambitions. Already embedded in India's semiconductor ecosystem, the Dutch government has committed to scaling up manufacturing and technology transfers. India will leverage Dutch expertise in renewable energy and climate-resistant infrastructure.
Shringla said the country had emerged as an important partner in India's semiconductor ambitions and renewable energy initiatives. He noted that Dutch technology and expertise in renewable energy and climate-resilient initiatives made the Netherlands a valuable partner for India's sustainable development goals. "So that's an important point, the first stop that the Prime Minister made. He has gone to the Netherlands, with whom we have established a strategic partnership. We have also, I think, looked at it as an important partner in our semiconductor tech, because they are already a part of that semiconductor manufacturing process in India. But I think what they have committed to do is to take that many steps higher. And, of course, in terms of the Netherlands' own technology, which is very important in terms of renewable energy, and climate-resistant, I would say, initiatives and methods, I think the Netherlands comes out as an important partner," said Shringla.
Breaking Diplomatic Inertia in Northern Europe
Shringla emphasised that the visits to northern Europe break decades of diplomatic inertia, noting that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Norway after more than 40 years. A unified focus on green hydrogen, sustainable development, and AI-driven renewable energy initiatives will span across the Nordic partnerships. Norway, a major global capital repository, is poised to dramatically increase its institutional investments in India's sustainable tech sectors.
The former Foreign Secretary said both nations had been longstanding economic partners and that Prime Minister Modi's visit had elevated the relationship to a "different level altogether." Shringla said India was likely to witness increased investments from European and Nordic countries, particularly in green and sustainable technologies.
Focus on Sweden and Norway
"We have established an important strategic partnership with Sweden. Both the Netherlands and Sweden have been traditional partners of ours in the economic realm. They are countries that are mid-sized in Europe, but their involvement in India has been significant over a period of time. What Prime Minister Modi's visit has done is take it to a different level altogether. I think we will see far greater investments from both these countries. There is a green-related, I would say, sustainable development and sustainable energy part of that cooperation that cuts across all these countries, that's the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, and the Nordic countries with whom that summit is going to take place. So I think this is an important partnership also," said Shringla.
Shringla said India was likely to witness increased investments from European and Nordic countries, particularly in green and sustainable technologies. He further highlighted India's growing cooperation with Norway in areas such as green technology, green hydrogen and AI-linked renewable energy initiatives. Calling the Nordic region an "important partnership" for India in Northern Europe, Shringla said several of these countries had not hosted an Indian Prime Minister for decades, making the current visit historically significant.
"Norway is one of the leading countries that not only has the resources but the ability to invest and is a repository of technology, which very few countries have. So Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and the Nordic countries are an important partnership in Upper Europe, as we call it, Northern Europe. And these countries, I think, in many of these countries, we haven't had a Prime Minister's visit for decades. I think the Prime Minister is going to Norway after 40 years or something, 42 years, 43 years. So this is a moment in which we have taken that relationship to the next level. A time when our partners are looking to India," he said.
India: A Beacon of Progress and Stability
Shringla highlighted that the underlying triumph of the tour is how the international community now views India amidst a fractured global landscape. "Countries are increasingly looking to India as an island of peace and an island of success, a beacon of progress and prosperity at a time of relative conflict and chaos," Shringla stated. "India comes out looking good. Countries want to engage us, invest in India, and cooperate on issues that go across the board at the strategic level."
The former diplomat said that by securing critical supply chains in semiconductors, locking down multi-billion dollar investments, and reinforcing defence frameworks, the tour successfully positions India as the world's premier stable partner for the future.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)