India, Sweden agree upon ‘win-win’ joint action plan 

India, Sweden agree upon ‘win-win’ joint action plan 

What has happened?

After a hectic day of bilateral parleys here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, on Tuesday agreed upon a joint action plan (JAP) for both countries to take forward a wide range of initiatives in defence, trade and investment, counterterrorism, renewable energy, smart cities, women’s skill development, space and science and healthcare. 

Innovation was the key issue

• Innovation was front and center in the bilateral summit, with a separate discussion focused entirely on this area, and the outcome being a joint declaration on a Sweden-India Innovation Partnership for a Sustainable Future
• Additionally a major funding boost was injected into the bilateral process when Mr. Löfven announced that the Swedish government will kick start the Innovation Partnership by providing up to 50 million Swedish kronor (over $59 million) for innovation cooperation in the field of smart cities and sustainability

Other important points of discussion

• Saab Group’s Gripen-E single-engine jet fighter for the Indian Air Force
• On counter terrorism both countries emphasized that the global counterterrorism legal framework should be regularly updated to address the changing threat of terrorism with strength.