Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday was conferred with the Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross, which is Sweden's highest honour. This is the 31st global order that the prime minister has received.
Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross is Sweden's utmost recognition and honour that can be conferred upon a Head of Government. This honour was first originally created in 1748 to award those foreign heads with "civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions".
The award was conferred to the prime minister shortly after he arrived in Sweden. Upon his arrival in Gothenburg, he was welcomed by his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson. He later thanked Kristersson and said he is looking forward to his visit that will further boost the India-Sweden friendship.
"The warmth and affection of the Indian community in Gothenburg were truly heartening. Their deep connection with India and their contribution to strengthening India-Sweden ties make us all very proud," PM Modi said, while sharing a video on micro-blogging site X (previously Twitter) of his arrival in the Nordic nation.
PM Modi holds talks with Kristersson
Immediately after his arrival in Sweden, the prime minister held talks with Kristersson, with a focus on trade, technology, defence, and other key sectors. The two leaders also reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025.
The talks also focused on further strengthening the bilateral ties between India and Sweden in areas of green transition, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.
Additionally, he also held talks with Maersk chairperson Robert Maersk Uggla. "We discussed the large scope of opportunities in India and deepening investments, especially in sectors like port infrastructure, logistics and more," he posted on X.
