Sweden's royal couple to visit India for five-day tour

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden will arrive in Delhi on Monday on a five-day visit to India, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

According to a revised advisory issued by the MEA on Sunday, the royal couple is slated to arrive here at 6.55 am. As per the previous advisory, they were scheduled to arrive here on Sunday evening.

The king will have meetings with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest, it said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also call on the Swedish king.

In Delhi, the royals are scheduled to visit Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Gandhi Smriti on Monday, according to the advisory.

Apart from Delhi, the royal couple is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Uttarakhand.

This will be King Gustaf's third visit to India.

The MEA had earlier said the king will lead a high-level business delegation for engagements with Indian counterparts.

"Several documents on furthering bilateral engagement are likely to be signed," it said.

The ties between India and Sweden have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years. The bilateral trade volume was USD 3.37 billion in 2018.

"Bilateral relations between India and Sweden are friendly and based on principles of democracy and transparency, right to freedom, and rule of law. Regular interactions in political, business, scientific and academic spheres have provided dynamism to our bilateral ties," the MEA had said.