Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday called India 'one of the greatest powers' in the world, arguing that Nordic cooperation with New Delhi can deliver stability, prosperity, and unity at a time of rapid and troubling global change. Her remarks came at a joint press conference in Oslo following the conclusion of the third India–Nordic Summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.

Frederiksen's Case for India–Nordic Partnership

Frederiksen pushed back against framing India as a 'middle power', a label she also found ill-fitting for the Nordic bloc individually. 'We cannot say that India is a middle power. You are one of the biggest powers,' she said. She argued that when the Nordic nations act in concert, they collectively constitute a middle power — and that pairing such a bloc with a major power like India around shared ideas and values offers a credible path through global uncertainty. 'Working together with one of the greatest powers on these clear ideas and values, I think we can bring stability, prosperity, and unity into a world that is changing rapidly and unfortunately not in the right direction,' Frederiksen stated.

Norway, Sweden, Finland: Key Summit Priorities

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the summit's discussions centred on reinforcing international law and advancing a rules-based global order that he acknowledged needs reform. Store also stressed the importance of a 'just and lasting peace' in Ukraine and a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in the Middle East. On the economic front, he highlighted deepening trade ties in light of newly concluded free trade agreements between EFTA countries and India, as well as between the European Union and India.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson thanked Modi for strong bilateral and Nordic-format cooperation, expressing enthusiasm about the opportunities the EU–India free trade agreement would create. 'There is a good room for expanding our partnerships in investments, in innovation, in diplomacy, and also in defence cooperation,' Kristersson said.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, recalling a visit to India earlier in the year alongside President Alexander Stubb, noted that a strategic partnership in digitalisation and sustainability had already been established. 'Finland is committed to bringing this partnership into concrete actions,' he said, underlining shared priorities on the rules-based order and climate change.

Iceland's 'Sambandh' Moment

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir described the summit as arriving at a 'very poignant time', underscoring how countries as geographically distant as Iceland and India are bound by shared interests. She pointed to Iceland's expertise in geothermal energy and renewables as a concrete area for exchange. In a lighter but pointed moment, Frostadottir expressed affection for the Hindi word 'sambandh' — meaning relationship or bond — noting its phonetic resemblance to the Icelandic word 'samband'. 'This is what people need. They need more samband today,' she said.

What the Summit Signals

The third India–Nordic Summit reflects a broader pattern of New Delhi deepening its engagement with Europe's smaller but economically significant democracies, particularly as the EU–India trade architecture takes shape. Notably, this is the third such summit, signalling an institutionalisation of the format rather than a one-off diplomatic gesture. With defence cooperation, innovation, sustainability, and trade all on the agenda, the partnership is expanding well beyond its original clean-energy and technology focus. The next steps will depend on how quickly the newly signed free trade frameworks translate into on-the-ground investment flows.