Trade and energy supplies will top the agenda as Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands here on Monday (May 18, 2026) for the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway, one of the world’s major oil and gas exporters.
Also Read | Oslo summit must mark India’s northward turn
Mr. Modi’s talks with Mr. Store will be an opportunity to take stock of the progress on the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with four countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, which came into force in October 2025. Mr. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and both leaders will address a business summit as both countries seek new markets and new technological collaborations.
The visit will also include the 3rd Nordic-India summit, bringing together leaders of the five Nordic Countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). The summit had to be cancelled last year after the Pahalgam terrorist attacks and the four-day India-Pakistan conflict. In addition, discussions on the conflicts in Ukraine, Iran and Gaza are expected to come up in both bilateral and multilateral discussions.
Also Read | PM Modi in Sweden updates on May 17, 2026
Earlier on Sunday (May 17, 2026), India and Sweden agreed to elevate their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, focusing on trade, technology, defence, and other key sectors.
Mr. Modi, who arrived earlier today for a two-day visit, was also awarded the ‘Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross’ in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the India-Sweden relationship and his visionary leadership.
Norway has built up a comprehensive maritime cluster of ship designers, equipment manufacturers, shipyards, shipping companies, financial and insurance institutions, and shipbrokers. Representing the country at an event of this scale that covers every link of the maritime value chain is a privilege rife with possibilities.
For both Norway and India, oceans and coastlines are natural assets. Oceans connect our economies and our people and are at the heart of our bilateral partnership. India plays a vital role in global shipping. It is not only a hub for trade, shipbuilding and ship recycling, but also offers technological and digital capacity.
As major ocean nations, Norway and India face common challenges, and with them, a shared responsibility to think globally and act for the benefit of all
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has landed in Oslo, where he will hold talks with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre on trade, technology and other key sectors.
Mr. Modi, who is on a four-nation European tour, arrived in Oslo from Sweden on Monday. He was received at the airport by PM Støre and other top leaders of the Scandinavian country.
This will be the first visit of PM Modi to Norway. It will also mark the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway in 43 years.
India and the Netherlands upgraded bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country on Saturday and Sunday.
The two sides signed 17 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in areas of “WAH” (water, agriculture, and health), renewable energy, critical minerals, and a semiconductor fabrication project between TATA Electronics and Dutch company ASML.
Recently elected Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said he had raised “sensitive topics” with PM Modi, including a legal custody and abduction case involving a Dutch-born child, Insiya. Besides, a number of Dutch media outlets reported that Mr. Jetten spoke about concerns over “press freedoms and minority rights in India”, which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) later pushed back on.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded Sweden’s highest honour, the ‘Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross,’ on Sunday, May 17, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to bilateral ties and his visionary leadership.
The award is the highest distinction that can be given to a Head of Government. This is Prime Minister Modi’s 31st international honour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday departed for Norway after concluding a visit to Sweden, where the two countries elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership and explored new avenues of cooperation.
This will mark the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway in 43 years, and Mr. Modi’s maiden visit to the Nordic nation.
During his two-day visit to Sweden, Mr. Modi held talks with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson, focusing on trade, technology, defence, and other key areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Oslo on May 18-19 for the third India-Nordic Summit comes as the logic of India’s engagement with Northern Europe has fundamentally changed.
When India first met the Nordics — Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland — in Stockholm in 2018, and again in Copenhagen in 2022, the relationship was anchored largely in climate cooperation, innovation, digitalisation and the blue economy. Those priorities remain important, but a transformed geopolitical landscape is giving the partnership strategic depth and economic purpose.
The change underway reflects developments beyond bilateral ties. The war in Ukraine has transformed Europe’s security order, while strains within the trans-Atlantic alliance have unsettled long-standing assumptions.
India is not an Arctic nation, but it is undeniably an Arctic stakeholder
Trade and energy supplies will top the agenda as Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Oslo on Monday for the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Norway, one of the world’s major oil and gas exporters.
Mr. Modi’s talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will be an opportunity to take stock of the progress on the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with four countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, which came into force in October 2025. Mr. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with Mr. Støre, and both leaders will address a business summit as both countries seek new markets and new technological collaborations.
Prime Minister Modi's historic visit to Norway focuses on trade, energy, and global conflicts at the Nordic summit.
Published - May 18, 2026 12:35 pm IST
Narendra Modi / Norway / India / Live news / trade policy / trade agreements / trade balance / diplomacy / international relations
Source: The Hindu - India News
