OSLO — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Oslo on Monday morning for the first visit by an Indian leader to Norway in more than four decades, capping the day with a joint press conference alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and the announcement of a new Green Strategic Partnership.
Speaking at the government guest house in central Oslo, both leaders hailed the upgraded ties as a milestone in bilateral relations, pledging deeper cooperation on renewable energy, global security, and trade.
“This visit underlines the importance of cooperation in times of global instability,” Støre said. “Norway and India are two maritime democracies that share fundamental values, and today we are turning shared ambitions into concrete action.”
Modi, who last visited the Nordic region in 2022 but had not previously held a standalone bilateral visit in Norway, thanked Støre for the invitation and called the partnership “a bridge between the Arctic and the Indian Ocean.”
$100 billion investment commitment
The centrepiece of Monday’s announcements was a Norwegian commitment to invest $100 billion in India over the coming years, focusing on offshore wind, green hydrogen, and the blue economy. The figure includes both sovereign and private capital channelled through Norway’s $1.7 trillion sovereign wealth fund as well as dedicated climate investment vehicles.
“India is not only a market — it is a solution to global climate challenges,” Støre said. “Norwegian capital and technology can help accelerate India’s green transition, while Indian scale and innovation can help bring down costs for the entire world.”
The two leaders officially elevated bilateral ties to a Green Strategic Partnership, a framework that already exists between Norway and several European allies. Under the new arrangement, both countries will establish annual ministerial-level dialogues on energy, ocean management, and climate adaptation.
Security, counter-terrorism, and space cooperation
Beyond green issues, Modi and Støre addressed several geopolitical files. Modi thanked Norway for its “steadfast solidarity” following a terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, last year that killed seven tourists, including two European nationals.
“There can be no justification for terrorism in any form,” Modi said. “India and Norway agree that the fight against terror must be comprehensive and uncompromising.”
Both prime ministers also reiterated their support for diplomatic solutions to ongoing conflicts. “Military conflicts cannot be resolved without dialogue and diplomacy,” Støre told reporters. “That principle guides our approach to Ukraine and the Middle East.”
Two separate memorandums of understanding were signed after the press conference:
· A space cooperation agreement between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Norwegian Space Agency, focusing on satellite-based climate monitoring and Arctic-Indian Ocean data sharing.
· A digital development pact under which India will offer its open-source public infrastructure platforms — including digital identity and payment systems — to developing nations, with technical support from Norway.
A historic gap filled
Monday’s visit ends a 43-year gap in high-level travel between New Delhi and Oslo. The last Indian prime minister to visit Norway was Indira Gandhi in 1983. Since then, trade has grown from negligible levels to nearly $30 billion in Norwegian investment in Indian equities, according to official data cited by Støre’s office.
Modi is scheduled to remain in Oslo through Tuesday, where he will join Støre and other Nordic heads of government for the third India-Nordic Summit. Leaders from Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden will also attend.
“This is not just about India and Norway,” Modi said as he closed the press conference. “It is about how the Global South and the Nordic region can work together for a stable, green, and prosperous future.”
