- Prime Minister Modi's Sweden visit upgraded India-Sweden ties to a strategic partnership
- The Swedish Ambassador to India called PM Modi's Sweden visit the biggest highlight of his diplomatic tenure
- "There is a complementarity that is undeniable between India and Sweden," Jan Thesleff said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to Sweden has catalysed a sweeping upgrade in India-Sweden relations, with both countries elevating their partnership to a full-fledged strategic collaboration underpinned by a joint action plan running from 2026 to 2030.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Senior Executive Editor Aditya Raj Kaul, Swedish Ambassador to India Jan Thesleff called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sweden the biggest highlight of his diplomatic tenure, marking the dawn of a new era in bilateral relations built on trust, technology and co-creation.
Ambassador Jan Thesleff, who is set to conclude his posting in India by mid-August, described the visit as transformational, not just for bilateral ties, but for the broader India-Europe strategic axis at a moment of profound global uncertainty.
A Partnership Built On Complementarity
Speaking to NDTV, Ambassador Thesleff was emphatic about what makes India and Sweden natural partners. "There is a complementarity that is undeniable between India and Sweden," he said, noting that while Sweden is a nation of just 10 million people, it has always looked beyond its domestic market. "In India, somehow, we almost find a global market. We find 1.5 billion people." With the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations having concluded in January this year, Thesleff said Swedish innovators and Indian companies now have access to "one quarter of the world's population and one quarter of the GDP of the world" -- calling it "a dream scenario."
The two countries have committed to doubling bilateral trade from the current USD 7.75 billion, doubling investments, doubling the number of Swedish companies in India from 300 to 600 by 2030, and doubling the number of Indian researchers working in Sweden. Thesleff pointed out that 100 of the 300 Swedish companies already present in India have manufacturing operations here, and that a quarter of a million Indians are directly employed in Swedish industry - a figure he expects to double as well.
"Innovate In Sweden, Manufacture With India, Serve The World"
On defence cooperation, Ambassador Thesleff cited a Swedish defence group that has already set up India's first 100% FDI-owned local manufacturing plant in Haryana - a first of its kind - as a model for others to follow. He recalled a phrase Prime Minister Modi offered spontaneously during his time in Gothenburg: "Innovate in Sweden, manufacture with India, serve the world." Thesleff called it "a golden phrase" that would serve as a motto for the entire scope of bilateral collaboration - encompassing defence, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and beyond.
The AI Corridor And A New Era Of Co-Creation
A centrepiece of the strategic partnership is the India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor, first announced during India's AI Impact Summit and reaffirmed during the Prime Minister's visit. Described by Thesleff as "very tangible and action-oriented," the initiative - driven jointly by the India AI Mission and Business Sweden - will be showcased at the Bangalore Tech Summit later this year. "Applied AI is a strength we have, and it's a strength and an interest that is also there in India," the Ambassador said, calling it "a marriage made in heaven."
Thesleff also stressed that virtually every Swedish company operating in India today considers itself an AI company, regardless of sector. "Even though they might manufacture, they might be an engineering company of some kind - they are all on the AI train."
Trust As The Scarcest Commodity
When asked about the geopolitical backdrop - Sweden's NATO membership, India's traditional non-aligned posture, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict - Thesleff was candid but measured. "The scarcest commodity, the rarest commodity in the world, is actually trust," he said. He argued that the India-EU FTA was ultimately accelerated by precisely this logic: "The political will necessary for this kind of agreement to materialise came about when we saw that the rules-based world order is under threat." With India and the EU together representing half the world's population and a quarter of global GDP, Thesleff said the message to sceptics of multilateralism was unmistakable.
Tagore, Soft Power And People-To-People Ties
On the cultural front, the Ambassador revealed that a scholar unearthed two previously forgotten poems written by Rabindranath Tagore during his 1926 visit to Sweden - and that a facsimile of these poems was presented to Prime Minister Modi as a gift. This discovery has inspired a new initiative called Tagore Talks, a recurring India-Sweden cultural and intellectual dialogue to be held in both countries. "East meets West - he stands for that," Thesleff said of Tagore, adding that he hopes to take the initiative beyond Delhi to Kolkata and other Indian cities.
Indians are now the largest immigrant group coming into Sweden, making up close to 1 per cent of Sweden's population. Through "Study in Sweden" and "Work in Sweden" initiatives, Stockholm is actively recruiting Indian talent for its high-tech industries and academic institutions.
As he prepares to leave India after four years, Thesleff was reflective. "What I take with me from India is to have been part of a transformation," he said. "I came here for the first time 33 years ago, and the biggest change I see is how the youth of India is today seen as a natural resource of the country." He signed off with characteristic optimism: "If I'm lucky in life, I might be with India in 2047 also."
