India and Sweden agreed on Sunday to elevate their bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held summit talks in Gothenburg with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The upgrade marks a significant milestone in a relationship that Modi described as grounded in shared democratic values, the rule of law, and a mutual commitment to innovation and sustainability.
The two leaders announced a broad new roadmap covering green transition, defence, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and people-to-people ties. A new India-Sweden Science and Technology Centre will be established to link startup and research ecosystems in both countries, and the two sides unveiled plans to develop a Sweden-India technology and AI corridor. In the defence sector, Modi highlighted that Swedish companies have begun establishing production facilities in India — a sign, he said, of a maturing industrial partnership that goes well beyond a buyer-seller dynamic. On space, the two countries' agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on an instrument for a joint orbital mission to Venus, prompting Kristersson to quip that "the sky is not the limit" for the partnership. Bilateral trade reached $7.75 billion in 2025, and both sides set an ambition to double trade and investment within five years.
Modi was also awarded Sweden's Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross, in recognition of his contribution to the bilateral relationship. His aircraft was escorted into Swedish airspace by Gripen fighter jets of the Swedish Air Force, and Kristersson personally received him at the airport — gestures that underscored the diplomatic weight the visit was accorded. Modi also met Robert Maersk Uggla, chairman of the global shipping conglomerate Maersk, to discuss opportunities in port infrastructure, maritime logistics, and green shipping.
The visit carries a broader geopolitical dimension. For Sweden, deepening ties with India means gaining access to one of the world's fastest-growing major economies. For India, it reinforces links with Europe at a time of heightened global uncertainty. The European Union, for its part, is seeking to develop India as a major industrial and economic partner as a counterweight to over-dependence on China. Modi referenced the recently concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement — which he quoted von der Leyen as calling the "Mother of All Deals" — as a framework within which the India-Sweden partnership will also advance.
Modi had previously visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit. His current European tour continues on Monday in Oslo, where he is due to meet the heads of government of all the Nordic countries.