After 'fruitful' talks, India, Denmark decide to expand ties in health, agriculture sectors

The two sides also inked four agreements that will provide for deepening of cooperation in areas of science and technology, climate change and skill development

India and Denmark on Saturday agreed on a five-year action plan to implement the bilateral “Green Strategic Partnership” as Prime Minister Narendra Modi played host to the North European nation’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen – the first foreign leader to visit India after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The two sides formally announced four pacts after Modi and Frederiksen had a meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The pacts included a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and Danfoss Industries Private Limited of Denmark to establish a Centre of Excellence for research on natural refrigerants for tropical climates with potential applications. The centre will spread knowledge about CO2-based cooling systems and offer competence and skills development on installation, commission, and maintaining CO2-based cooling systems.

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The meeting between the Prime Ministers saw the two sides agreeing on a five-year action plan for implementation of the Green Strategic Partnership, which they had announced during a virtual meeting in September 2020 to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations and green growth, create jobs and strengthen cooperation for implementation of the Paris Agreement to deal with climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

“This partnership is an example of how by collective effort, through technology, one can work for green growth, while preserving the environment,” Modi said after his meeting with the Danish Prime Minister. He called upon Denmark’s companies to expand investment in India, taking advantage of the reforms in the manufacturing sector.

“We share a commitment to the green transition,” Frederiksen said, adding that she and Modi had “good talks on regional and global issues”, including the climate agenda and the forthcoming COP 26 – the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which would be held in Glasgow in the United Kingdom next month.

Also Read | PM Modi hosts Danish PM Mette Frederiksen; first foreign leader to visit India since Covid-19

They also agreed to expand cooperation in the health and agricultural sectors.

The pacts announced after the Modi-Frederiksen meeting included a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Access Agreement between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office and a Joint Letter of Intent for cooperation in skill development and entrepreneurship. An MoU between the CSIR’s India National Geophysical Research Institute based at Hyderabad with Aarhus University in Denmark and Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland on mapping of groundwater resources and aquifers was also inked.

Modi earlier received Frederiksen at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the Danish Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial reception.

Also Read | Denmark is India’s ‘very unique partner’ in growing back greener, says S Jaishankar

The last such ceremonial reception at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan took place in February 2020 – for the then President of the United States, Donald Trump, on February 25, 2020, and for the then President of Myanmar, U Win Myint, on February 27, 2020. No foreign Head of Government or the Head of State visited New Delhi in the past 18 months, as the world leaders preferred holding virtual meetings through video links in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Modi resumed his foreign visits earlier this year with a two-day tour to Bangladesh on March 26 and 27. He visited the United States from September 22 to 25.

The Prime Minister is also likely to visit Rome for the G-20 summit, which Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will host on October 30 and 31 next.

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