NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday encouraged India and Denmark to establish a research platform for finding solutions to global issues such as food security, water management, climate change and sustainable development.
During his bilateral meeting with the visiting Prime Minister of Denmark Lars L kke Rasmussen at Gandhinagar, Modi said this could be achieved as Denmark had the skills and India the scale, and there was a need for new technologies in the world.
The Danish prime minister is on a two-day visit to India from January 18 to 19, for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, 2019 in Gandhinagar, where Denmark is participating as a ‘partner country’.
Rasmussen is accompanied by a business delegation, including CEOs of major Danish companies, an External Affairs Ministry statement said.
The bilateral meeting between the two leaders was held on the sidelines of the summit. They had earlier met during the first India-Nordic summit in Stockholm in April 2018.
During the meeting, the statement said, the two leaders deliberated upon various areas of bilateral cooperation and also exchanged views on multilateral issues of mutual interest.
“They underscored the huge potential for expanding bilateral trade and investments between the two countries,” it said.
Denmark is a global leader in several niche technologies which are of relevance to India.
During the meeting, two MoUs were also exchanged. One on maritime issues between the Ministry of Shipping of India and the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs of Denmark and another between Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited and the Danish Embassy in New Delhi to establish an Urban Living Lab in Panaji, Goa.
Around 130 Danish companies have invested in India in areas such as shipping, renewable energy, environment, agriculture and food processing and are keen to expand their engagements in other sectors like smart urban development and waste-to-energy.
Several major Danish companies are also present in Gujarat in shipping and renewable energy sectors.
During his visit, Rasmussen will inaugurate the Danish Cultural Institute and the new building of the Danish Embassy in the national capital on January 19. He will also visit Agra, the statement said. PTI
