New Delhi: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on Monday arrived at Delhi Airport for a five-day visit to the country beginning Monday.
The royal couple flew in on an Air India plane from Stockholm.
“Very Proud moment of Air India when we had a Special Guest onboard. His Majesty Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, King of Sweden and Her Majesty Silvia Renate Sommerlath travelled AI168 Stockholm to Delhi. Ms. Sangeeta Sanyal Country Manager Sweden greeted the Royal guests,” Air India tweeted earlier today.
The visit is taking place at the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind. This is the Swedish King’s third visit to India, the earlier visits being in 1993 and 2005.
The King will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind.
The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the Swedish King who is here with a high-level delegation. Several agreements on furthering bilateral engagement are likely to be signed between the two countries.
The Swedish King will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Following this, the visiting dignitary will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The royal couple will lay a wreath at Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.
During the visit, the Swedish King will have meetings with the President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister on bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest, the MEA had said in a statement earlier this week.
Exchange of agreements between the two sides will also take place later in the day.
“His Majesty will lead a high-level business delegation for engagements with Indian counterparts. Several documents on furthering bilateral engagement are likely to be signed,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
An India-Sweden high-level dialogue on innovation policy will also be held during the royal couple’s visit.
The royal couple will visit prominent monuments of Delhi like Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Gandhi Smriti.
On Tuesday morning, a programme on tackling emissions and air pollution will be held at the India Habitat Centre.
The royal couple will proceed to Mumbai on Wednesday where they will meet Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari.
The Swedish King and Queen will next visit Uttarakhand. They will visit Ram Jhula Bridge and Bathing Ghat in Rishikesh and are expected to inaugurate a Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant in Haridwar.
On Friday, the royal couple will emplane for Stockholm via Delhi.
India and Sweden had a bilateral trade turnover of USD 3.37 billion in 2018 and cumulative investments of about USD 2.5 billion since the year 2000.
“Bilateral relations between India and Sweden are friendly and based on principles of democracy and transparency, right to freedom, and rule of law. Regular interactions in political, business, scientific and academic spheres have provided dynamism to our bilateral ties,” MEA said.