After 43 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Norway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on an official visit to Norway on May 18, 2026. This is the first time in 43 years that an Indian Prime Minister has visited the country.

The visit is taking place at the invitation of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and is considered an important step towards strengthening India's engagement with the Nordic countries.

The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Norway was Indira Gandhi, who made an official visit in June 1983. Since then, no Indian Prime Minister has visited the country, making this visit after more than four decades a significant diplomatic milestone.

On May 18, PM Modi also met with King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. The India-Norway partnership is strengthening in many areas, especially in the field of climate-related technology. The two countries are working together on carbon capture, offshore wind energy, and sustainable marine resources under the Blue Economy model.

A key feature of this partnership is growing cooperation in the space sector. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has installed antennas at the KSAT facility in Svalbard, Norway.

Scheduled for completion in 2026, this project strengthens communication capabilities for India's space missions and is expected to open new opportunities for collaboration in space technology.

Key Achievements of the India-Norway Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the "Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit" by King Harald V of Norway, Norway's highest civilian honor bestowed on foreign heads of state/government.

India and Norway officially established a dedicated Maritime Security Dialogue Mechanism.

This framework aims to promote information sharing, strengthen coordination between various agencies, and combat illicit maritime activities (IMA) such as piracy, smuggling, and illegal fishing.

The leaders actively discussed the possibility of establishing a "Sovereign Investment Corridor."

It aims to channel long-term investment capital from Norway's vast sovereign wealth fund, one of the world's largest, directly into India's green infrastructure and renewable energy projects.

Expansion of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) In a significant strategic move, Norway formally joined India's IPOI initiative.

This initiative aims to open new avenues for cooperation between the two countries in satellite applications, scientific research, and future space missions.

India-Nordic Summit in Oslo, 2026

The second major event of the visit took place in Oslo on May 19, 2026, where PM Modi participated in the third India-Nordic Summit. The meeting was attended by leaders from the five Nordic countries: Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden.

The Third India-Nordic Summit strengthened cooperation in areas such as green technology, innovation, trade, maritime security, artificial intelligence (AI), space, and climate action. Strategic ties were also deepened through initiatives such as the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

Trade between India and the Nordic countries has reached approximately $19 billion, and approximately 700 Nordic companies operate in India across sectors such as energy, technology, and manufacturing.

Facts about the Nordic Summits

First: Stockholm, Sweden (2018)

Second: Copenhagen, Denmark (2022)

Next: Finland will host the Fourth India-Nordic Summit.

Nordic Region

The Nordic region comprises Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Additionally, it includes three autonomous territories—the Faroe Islands and Greenland (associated with Denmark) and the Åland Islands (associated with Finland).

Sweden is the largest and most populous country in this group, while Denmark is the smallest by area and Iceland is the least populous.