Copenhagen:
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday that the Scandinavian countries and India have different starting points and perspectives on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Store said this in a statement following bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the second India Nordic Summit.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Prime Minister Store took office in October 2021.
“India is an emerging power and its economy is set to grow rapidly in the foreseeable future. At today’s meeting, we discussed cooperation in areas such as ocean management, climate action and renewable energy, and we agreed to establish a joint energy task force,” said Store in a press statement.
The Norwegian prime minister said the Scandinavian countries reiterated their strong condemnation of the “Russian war against Ukraine” and emphasized that the war is not only a European concern.
“However, the Scandinavian countries and India clearly have different starting points and perspectives,” he said.
Store stressed the importance of the Ukraine issue and said it was important to discuss the situation in depth. “My Indian colleague listened carefully to our views and it was clear that he understood why we are responding so strongly to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.”
In a joint statement by the 2nd India-Nordic Summit, the Nordic prime ministers strongly condemned the “unlawful and unprovoked aggression” by the Russian armed forces against Ukraine.
According to the statement, the prime ministers expressed serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
“They unequivocally condemned the civilian deaths in Ukraine. They reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities,” it added.
They discussed the destabilizing effect of the conflict in Ukraine and its wider regional and global implications. Both sides agreed to remain closely involved in the matter.
In addition, the prime ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)