PM Modi receives Sweden's Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross; 31st global honour so far

Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday for a two-day visit where he was received by his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson at the Gothenburg Airport.

Updated on: May 18, 2026, 05:42:32 IST

By HT News Desk

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Sweden's Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross on Sunday. This is this utmost recognition and honour that can be conferred upon a head of government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving Sweden's Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross. (Sourced)

This is PM Modi's 31st global honour. Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday for a two-day visit. He was received by his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson on Sunday at the Gothenburg Airport. The two leaders later held wide-ranging talks focusing on trade, technology, defence, and other key sectors.

Modi had earlier visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit.

During the delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025.

The two leaders emphasised on boosting bilateral ties in areas of green transition, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.

"I will be meeting Prime Minister Kristersson to advance the India-Sweden friendship in trade, investments, innovation, defence and more," Modi earlier said in a social media post.

Earlier, the Modi's plane was escorted by Swedish Air Force jets as it entered the European country's airspace. He was given a warm welcome at the airport by his Swedish counterpart Kristersson.

Soon after arriving in Gothenburg, Modi met members of the Indian diaspora. He was welcomed with musical performances, including the rendition of 'Vaishnava Jana To' bhajan by Swedish opera singer Charlotta Huldt and a mesmerising Bharatanatyam performance by the students of Lilla Akademien.

During the reception, in the presence of PM Kristersson, a spectacular example of Bengali culture was showcased. "Bengali culture is popular world over and Sweden is no exception," Modi said on social media.

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