Nordic countries support India's candidature for a permanent seat in reformed UN Security Council

The Nordic countries have supported India's candidature for a permanent seat, in a reformed UN Security Council expanded with both permanent and non-permanent members.

A joint statement issued after the Indo-Nordic Summit at Stockholm last night said the Nordic countries agree that India is a strong candidate for a permanent seat in a reform security council. The Nordic countries also welcomed India's application for membership of the Nuclear Supplier's Group.

In the joint statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Prime Minister of Nordic countries reaffirmed the importance of free trade as a catalyst for achieving inclusive growth and realising the sustainable development goals.

The Summit hosted by the Indian and the Swedish Prime Minister was



attended by Prime Ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The Summit emphasised the Indian Government’s strong commitment to innovation and digital initiatives as key to prosperity and sustainable development, with national flagship programmes such as Make in India, Startup India, Digital India and Clean India. The Summit welcomed the Nordic Sustainable Cities Project aimed at supporting the Smart Cities Programme of the Government of India.

The Prime Ministers acknowledged that terrorism and violent extremism are major challenges for the international community. They noted that women’s full and meaningful participation in political, social and economic life is key to inclusive development and agreed to promote the empowerment of women.