PM Modi leaves for Sweden

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday emplaned for a two-day visit to Sweden beginning from today.

The Prime Minister will embark on a five-day official visit to Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany.

Apart from bilateral visits to the two countries, Prime Minister Modi will attend the India-Nordic Summit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sweden and the United Kingdom respectively.

"At the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Prime Minister Modi will undertake his first visit to Sweden on April 16 to 17. He is scheduled to arrive in Stockholm on April 16 evening and will have a number of meetings on April 17, including an audience with the King of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf, and consultations with Prime Minister Lofven," according to Ministry of External Affairs statement.

Prime Minister Modi will address a gathering of select Swedish business leaders and will also meet the Indian community in Sweden.

On the sidelines of the India-Nordic Summit, Prime Minister Modi will have separate bilateral meetings with Prime Ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway respectively.

The Prime Minister will visit the UK from April 17 to 20 for a bilateral visit and attend CHOGM. The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UK will focus on enhancing India-UK tech partnership.

The visit will see a number of deliverables in the area of skill development, healthcare, cybersecurity, innovation, traditional medicine, and education. The India-UK CEOs Forum will also take place during this visit. Also, the UK will formally convey their readiness to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Prime Minister Modi will attend the CHOGM in London from April 19 to 20. The meetings of the Commonwealth Heads of Government usually take place every two years and serve to shape the organisation's agenda for the next two years.

After concluding his visits to Sweden and the UK, the Prime Minister will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin for a brief while and both the leaders will exchange views on a number of bilateral, regional and global issues.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Merkel began her fourth term on March 14.