Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the 'Royal Order of Polar Star' Commander Grand Cross, an international honour from Sweden, on Sunday, during his official visit to the Nordic country. 'Royal Order of Polar Star' Commander Grand Cross is the utmost recognition and honour that can be conferred upon a Head of the government.
The Swedish Crown Princess Victoria presented Prime Minister Modi with the Royal Order in a ceremony at the County Governor's residence, in the presence of Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. This is the 31st global honour for PM Modi.
The Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf decided to confer the 'Royal Order of the Polar' Commander Grand Cross, upon Prime Minister Modi, according to the Swedish Prime Minister's office. The Order of the Polar Star was instituted in 1748 and is awarded to individuals for their personal endeavours for Sweden or Swedish interests, the Swedish PM's office noted.
PM Modi and his Swedish counterpart Kristersson also exchanged special gifts commemorating Rabindranath Tagore and the enduring civilisational and intellectual ties between India and Sweden, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
PM Modi on Sunday arrived in Sweden on the third leg of his five-nation visit and was received by his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, at the airport. in Gothenburg. Swedish Gripen fighter jets escorted PM Modi's plane as it entered the country's airspace.
PM Modi arrived in Sweden at the invitation of Kristersson after concluding his visit to the Netherlands. During his visit, Prime Ministers Modi and Kristersson will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, according to the statement released by the MEA.
PM Modi had earlier visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit. A major highlight of the visit will be the participation of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Kristersson at the European Round Table for Industry, a prominent pan-European platform of business leaders.
The two leaders will address the gathering alongside Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. The Sweden visit comes immediately after PM Modi concluded his official two-day visit to the Netherlands earlier on Saturday at the invitation of his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten.