Denmark–India relations

As of the latest data, approximately 21,000 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) reside in Denmark.

History

Tranquebar, a town in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was a Danish colony in India from 1620 to 1845. It is spelled Trankebar or Tranquebar in Danish, which comes from the native Tamil, Tarangambadi, meaning "place of the singing waves". It was sold, along with the other Danish settlements in mainland India, most notably Serampore (now in West Bengal), to Great Britain in 1845. The Nicobar Islands were also colonized by Denmark, until the British formally took possession in 1869 . After Independence in 1947, the Indian prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's visit to Denmark in 1957 laid the foundation for a friendly relationship between India and Denmark that has endured ever since. The bilateral relations between India and Denmark are based on cooperation in political, economic, academic and research fields. There have been periodic high level visits between the two countries.

Visits

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Prime Minister of Denmark, accompanied by a large business delegation, paid a State visit to India from February 4–8, 2008. He visited Infosys, Biocon and IIM Bangalore in Bangalore and Agra. He launched an ‘India Action Plan’, which called for strengthening of the political dialogue, strengthening of cooperation in trade and investments, research in science and technology, energy, climate and environment, culture, education, student exchanges and attracting skilled manpower and IT experts to Denmark for short periods. The two countries signed an Agreement for establishment of a Bilateral Joint Commission for Cooperation. Mette Frederiksen visited India from October 9th-11th in 2021 where she had bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was the first visit by a Head of Government to India following the COVID-19 pandemic. Both sides reviewed the progress in Green Strategic Partnership which was established during the Virtual Summit held in September 2020. Frederiksen also gave a special address during an event organized by the Observer Research Foundation regarding the Green Strategic Partnership and collaboration between the two countries to combat climate change. During Modi's visit in 2022, Denmark and India signed bilateral agreements concerning clean water and green energy. This meeting marked the first time an Indian leader had visited Denmark in 20 years .