Explained: The Monarchy in Sweden and India-Sweden Relations

News:Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen has arrived in India for a five-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

Facts:

About Swedish Monarchy:

• A monarchy is a form of government in which total sovereignty is invested in one person, a head of state called a monarch who holds the position until death or abdication. 
• The Swedish monarchy is one of the oldest in the world. According to the website of the Swedish Royal Court,the country has had a monarch for more than 1,000 years.

Key takeaways from the Sweden king’s visit to India:

• The two countries inaugurated the India-Sweden High-Level Dialogue on innovation policy with a focus on areas such as digital health, artificial intelligence (AI), future mobility and circular economy.
• They have also signed an agreement on science cooperation in the polar regions.

India-Sweden Relations:

• The diplomatic ties between India and Sweden were established in the year 1949.
• But the High level contacts between the two countries began in 1957, when Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Sweden.
• After that,the two countries enjoyed an excellent relationship and cooperate widely in regional and international fora.
• The Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial and Scientific Cooperation was also established at the level of the Ministers of Commerce and Industry in India and the Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade and EU Affairs.
• During the visit of the President of India to Sweden in 2015, the two sides agreed to reach the ambitious total trade target of US $5 billion by 2018. 
• However,bilateral trade fell to US $1.9 billion in 2016-17 as compared to about US $2.17 billion in 2015-16.