India, Denmark reaffirm ties in health, agriculture, and green partnership

Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava met with a Danish delegation led by Ambassador of Denmark to India, Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, to discuss ongoing and emerging areas of bilateral cooperation.

According to a post on X by the Ministry of Health, both sides met on Thursday and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening India-Denmark collaboration in health, food, and agriculture, while advancing the Green Strategic Partnership.

The discussions also highlighted a shared vision to build resilient, sustainable, and future-ready systems that benefit both nations, the ministry said.

"Union Health Secretary Ms Punya Salila Srivastava met with the Danish delegation led by His Excellency Mr Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Ambassador of Denmark to India, to discuss ongoing and emerging areas of cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Denmark-India collaboration in health, food and agriculture and to advancing the Green Strategic Partnership. The discussions underscored a shared vision of building resilient, sustainable and future-ready systems for the benefit of both nations," the ministry said in its post on X.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Denmark elevated their relations to a Green Strategic Partnership back in September 2020, building on and consolidating the existing agreement establishing a Joint Commission for Cooperation, signed in February 2009, between the two nations.

The partnership, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen during a virtual summit between the two nations, envisaged cooperation in the political, economic and commercial, science and technology, environment, energy, education, and culture sectors.

In addition, it builds on and complements the existing Joint Working Groups on Renewable Energy, Urban Development, Environment, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Food Processing, Science, Technology and Innovation, Shipping, Labour Mobility and Digitisation.

The Green Strategic Partnership is a mutually beneficial arrangement to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations and green growth, create jobs and strengthen collaboration on addressing global challenges and opportunities, with a focus on an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the MEA stated.