Looking forward to stay in India, says Swedish King Carl

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf Folke Hubertus on Monday said that he is looking forward to his stay in India as the two sides are scheduled to hold discussions on various issues of common interests like industry, development, and energy.

The Swedish king, who is on a five-day visit to India, is heading a high-level delegation comprising of over 100 business leaders.

The King and the Queen Silvia Renate Sommerlath were accorded a ceremonial welcome upon their arrival at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Speaking to media, King Gustaf said. "I am here with the queen and Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs. I am here with a big Swedish delegation from the business community. I am here with 100 people from Sweden."

"We are looking forward to having a discussion. We will discuss the issues of common interest like industry, development, environment and forestry. We are hoping to hold a very fruitful discussion," he added.

India and Sweden had a bilateral trade turnover of USD 3.37 billion in 2018 and cumulative investments of about USD 2.5 billion since 2000.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia met External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar earlier in the day.

The couple, on Tuesday, is slated to take part in a programme on 'Tackling emissions and air pollution' at India Habitat Centre here.

On Wednesday, the dignitaries will emplane for Mumbai and meet the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhawan and will emplane for Dehradun the next day to visit Ram Jhula Bridge and Bathing Ghat in Uttarakhand.

Moreover, they will inaugurate the Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant in Haridwar the same day. Concluding their visit, the couple will emplane for New Delhi on Friday and thereafter will leave for Stockholm.

This will be King Gustaf's third visit to India. As per MEA, several documents on furthering bilateral engagement are likely to be signed during the visit.

Bilateral relations between India and Sweden are friendly and based on principles of democracy and transparency, right to freedom, and rule of law.

Regular interactions in political, business, scientific and academic spheres have provided dynamism to the bilateral ties of the two countries.