Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday received Sweden’s Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross, the highest honour that can be conferred upon a head of government by the European nation. The award marked the 31st international honour received by Modi during his tenure and came during his two-day visit to Sweden, where India and Sweden also upgraded their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership.

Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday and was received at Gothenburg Airport by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. In a special gesture, Swedish Air Force jets escorted the Prime Minister’s aircraft after it entered Swedish airspace. The visit marked Modi’s second trip to Sweden after his 2018 visit for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit.

Soon after arriving in Gothenburg, Modi interacted with members of the Indian diaspora. The Prime Minister was welcomed with cultural performances, including a rendition of the bhajan ‘Vaishnava Jana To’ by Swedish opera singer Charlotta Huldt and a Bharatanatyam performance by students of Lilla Akademien. During the reception event, Bengali culture was also showcased in the presence of Kristersson. “Bengali culture is popular world over and Sweden is no exception,” Modi said on social media.

The two Prime Ministers later held delegation-level talks that focused on strengthening cooperation in trade, technology, defence, innovation and climate action. During the discussions, the two sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral ties and explored new opportunities to expand cooperation. Bilateral trade between India and Sweden reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025, reflecting growing economic engagement between the two countries.

India and Sweden announced the elevation of their relationship to a strategic partnership with a focus on key sectors such as defence, artificial intelligence, green transition, startups, resilient supply chains, space, emerging technologies and people-to-people ties. The announcement came as Modi and Kristersson also participated in a European roundtable for industry alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The leaders discussed ways to deepen India-Europe cooperation amid growing global uncertainty and economic disruptions. Talks also focused on the proposed India-European Union free trade agreement, which is expected to be finalised by the end of the year. The agreement is being viewed as a major step towards boosting trade and investment between India and Europe at a time when global trade patterns are witnessing significant changes.

Addressing the business gathering, Modi highlighted the strong democratic foundation of India-Sweden relations. “Political, economic and strategic convergence between India and Europe is crucial for peace and stability throughout the world,” Modi said. “In today’s tense global situation, close cooperation between democracies like India and Sweden is of particular importance. India has always emphasised dialogue and diplomacy to resolve various tensions and problems.”

Modi also underlined the significance of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement and other initiatives aimed at deepening strategic cooperation. “The India-EU FTA will open up new opportunities for industries, investors and innovators,” he said, while adding that the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership and a mobility agreement have further strengthened ties between the two sides.

Before arriving in Sweden, Modi had stated that his meeting with Kristersson would focus on strengthening cooperation in several important sectors. “I will be meeting Prime Minister Kristersson to advance the India-Sweden friendship in trade, investments, innovation, defence and more,” Modi earlier said in a social media post.

Kristersson described the India-Sweden partnership as one built on shared goals and expanding cooperation. He said the two countries had launched a joint action plan covering new areas such as innovation, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, space and geospatial technology. He also announced that the two sides agreed to launch a Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0 and deepen political dialogue on security and defence through a mechanism involving their National Security Advisers.

“We have a joint ambition to double our trade and investment within five years. With the current speed, I believe it could become a reality even sooner,” Kristersson said. He also expressed confidence that the India-EU FTA would create around 23,000 jobs in Sweden.

“In this unpredictable and sometimes dangerous world, the EU and India are partners that promote stability and stability,” Kristersson said while emphasising the growing importance of cooperation between India and Europe.

Von der Leyen also strongly backed the proposed India-EU trade agreement and called it a major economic opportunity for both sides. Referring to the scale of the agreement, she described the India-EU FTA as “the mother of all deals”. She said the agreement would create a shared market of more than two billion people and account for nearly a quarter of global GDP. She also highlighted that the pact could result in more than 90% tariff cuts between the two sides.

The visit to Sweden formed part of Modi’s ongoing five-nation tour aimed at strengthening India’s diplomatic, strategic and economic partnerships across Europe. The trip reflected India’s growing engagement with European nations in areas such as technology, defence cooperation, clean energy and innovation, while also underlining the increasing strategic importance of India-Europe relations in the current global environment.