India, Denmark sign 9 pacts, to ramp up trade

New Delhi: After bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in Copenhagen, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen condemned Russia for its “unlawful invasion of Ukraine” and publicly hoped India would influence Russia to stop its military offensive, as she also demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has got to stop this war”. The two PMs also reviewed the bilateral Green Strategic Partnership between their two nations and decided to ramp up trade ties and cooperation in green energy and combating climate change, with the two nations signing nine pacts in diverse fields such as migration and mobility, shipping, culture, fisheries, animal husbandry, skill development, start-ups, water management and energy policy. Both leaders also “reconfirmed their commitment to democratic values, the rule of law and respect for human rights on which the Green Strategic Partnership is based”. Mr Modi will participate in the Second India-Nordic Summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday with the leaders of five Nordic nations -- Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

In his public remarks on Tuesday after talks with the Danish PM, Mr Narendra Modi said: “Today, we also discussed a number of regional and global issues, including India-EU relations, Indo-Pacific and Ukraine. We called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the adoption of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the problem. We stressed on ensuring a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.  We hope that negotiations on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement will be concluded as soon as possible. We also discussed our cooperation in the field of climate. India is also committed to fulfilling the resolutions taken at the Glasgow COP-26. We have agreed to explore more opportunities for cooperation in the Arctic region.”

As the Danish PM “reiterated Denmark’s strong condemnation of the unlawful and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine by Russian forces”, both leaders in a joint statement “expressed their serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, unequivocally condemned civilian deaths in Ukraine, reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities, emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states and discussed the destabilising effect of the conflict in Ukraine and its broader regional and global implications”, while “agreeing to remain closely engaged on the issue”.

On India-EU ties, the two Prime Ministers “emphasised the importance of India-EU Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen this partnership”. They also “appreciated the progress in restart of negotiations on India-EU Trade, Investment and Geographical Indicators Agreements and called for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive and mutually beneficial approach and an early and simultaneous conclusion”. Both leaders “welcomed the launch of the Trade and Technology Council between the EU and India, underlining the importance of deep, strategic collaboration on cross-cutting issues related to trade, trusted technology and security and also recalled the India-EU Connectivity Partnership and agreed to support efforts towards its early implementation”.

In a statement, New Delhi said: “Both PMs reviewed progress of the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership. The discussions covered cooperation in renewable energy, especially offshore wind energy and green hydrogen, as well as skill development, health, shipping, water and the Arctic, among others.” New Delhi also said Mr Modi “appreciated the positive contribution of Danish companies in India to our flagship programmes” while the Danish PM highlighted the positive role of Indian companies in Denmark.

On trade ties, the joint statement said: “The two PMs underlined the importance of bilateral trade and investments and stressed the need to maximise the potential of economic ties between the two countries. They affirmed that robust bilateral investments and trade flows through diversified, resilient, transparent, open, secure and predictable global supply chains would ensure economic security and prosperity of their peoples. The two PMs welcomed Danish investments in India, especially in the renewable energy, water, terminals and port modernisation and expansion, food processing and engineering sectors and India’s investments in Denmark, especially in information technology… They noted that such investments have made India the country where Danish companies have the largest number of employees outside of Denmark.”

It added: “Both leaders agreed that the opportunities created by the Green Strategic Partnership will likely lead to an upward trajectory in bilateral trade and investment. In this context, the two Prime Ministers welcomed the launch of the ‘India Green Finance Initiative’, which aims to contribute to financing green projects in India with the purpose of accelerating green growth and job creation in India.”