Outgoing Swedish Ambassador Jan Thesleff praised India’s rise on the global stage and highlighted the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership as a key achievement during his ‘four amazing years’ tenure in New Delhi.
Marking the end of his four-year tenure, Sweden’s outgoing Ambassador, Jan Thesleff, stated that India has “taken its right place on the world stage”, describing the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership as a defining achievement of recent years.
In an interview with ANI before concluding his posting, the Ambassador reflected on what he called “four amazing years”, during which political engagement, trade, innovation and strategic cooperation between the two countries witnessed unprecedented growth. “I’ve been lucky to witness, I think, a historic period when it comes to India, but also when it comes to our bilateral relations,” he said.
Deepening Strategic Partnership
The envoy said the most significant achievement during his tenure was the broadening and deepening of cooperation across multiple sectors. “The biggest achievement is that we have broadened and deepened our relations in all fields. We have a much more vivid, active political dialogue today… We’ve had a large number of visits from Sweden to India and, of course, the landmark visit by your Prime Minister to Sweden.”
He also highlighted the conclusion of negotiations for the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the elevation of India-Sweden ties to a Strategic Partnership backed by a roadmap extending to 2030. “The strategic partnership that we have entered into… We have an action plan from 2026 to 2030. We know what we have set out to achieve during that time,” he said.
India’s Rise on the World Stage
Reflecting on India’s transformation over the past four years, the Ambassador said the country has emerged as a leading global player despite an increasingly volatile international environment. “What has struck me most is how India has stepped out on the world stage in a way that I have not seen before,” he said. Referring to India’s G20 Presidency, Global South initiatives and AI engagements, he added, “Against that quite unruly background, India has really started to take its right place on the world stage.”
Unlocking Opportunities with India-EU FTA
Calling the India-EU FTA much more than a trade agreement, the envoy said it would strengthen investor confidence and unlock opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises on both sides. “One cannot overestimate the FTA. It’s not about trade only. That agreement paves the way for a trustful relationship… It will give trust to investors and to small and medium-sized companies.”
He said lowering regulatory and tariff barriers would enable greater participation by innovative businesses from both India and Europe. “When those companies from India come into Europe and from Europe come into India, we will see a transformation,” he said.
Doubling Bilateral Trade
On bilateral economic ties, the Ambassador expressed confidence that India and Sweden would comfortably achieve, and likely exceed, their target of doubling trade by 2030. “We have set out to double everything we do. We’ll double our trade, investments, the number of students, tourists and educational cooperation,” he said. “I think this is a very low target. We will do much more than double in the coming five years.”
He noted that bilateral trade currently stands at around USD 7-8 billion and is expected to reach USD 14-15 billion by 2030.
Expanding Space Cooperation
The outgoing envoy also underscored the growing importance of India-Sweden cooperation in the space sector, describing it as one of the oldest areas of collaboration between the two countries. “We are very proud of our space cooperation with India. It goes back to the 1980s,” he said.
Highlighting Sweden’s participation in India’s upcoming Venus mission, he said Swedish high-tech companies had already contributed to the Chandrayaan missions and would continue supporting India’s space ambitions. “We are very proud that we are also contributing to the Venus mission,” he said.
The Ambassador added that space cooperation extends beyond exploration and has practical benefits for sustainable development on Earth. “Space is fantastic in the sense that the technologies developed for use in space can also be used on Earth… It’s not only about something that is up there; it’s also something that is down here,” he said. (ANI)
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