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India and Sweden held the 8th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in New Delhi, dicussing the reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations.
The consultations was co-chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George from the Indian side and Dag Hartelius, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden from the Swedish side, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. India and Sweden enjoy longstanding, warm and friendly relations marked by regular exchanges at both political and official levels which have intensified over the last years. Sweden is a valued partner for India in the EU and the Nordic region, added the statement. During the FOC, the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including political exchanges, trade & investment, defence & security, innovation, green transition, sustainable development, emerging technologies and people-to-people ties. They noted the steady progress in India-Sweden relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in priority areas such as clean energy, climate action, digitalization, defence, and resilient supply chains, MEA said. The sides underscored that the recently concluded India-EU FTA has opened a new chapter in economic and commercial ties and agreed to continue efforts for its early implementation to facilitate deepening the trade, investment and technology linkages. They also discussed collaboration in multilateral fora and exchanged views on key regional and global issues of mutual interest. The Swedish side appreciated India's continued leadership in global governance and its active role in addressing contemporary global challenges. The Indian side acknowledged Sweden's contributions to innovation, sustainability, and green technologies, MEA said. The two sides agreed to further intensify high-level exchanges and deepen institutional cooperation, including through regular consultations and dialogues across sectors. State Secretary Dag Hartelius also called-on the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the visit and conveyed Sweden's keenness to strengthen cooperation with India in all spheres of mutual interest. According to MEA, the sides agreed to hold the next round of FOC in Sweden at a mutually convenient date. (ANI)
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