PM Modi to leave on five-nation tour tomorrow, discussions in UAE to also focus on strengthening energy security

A six-day, five-nation diplomatic tour covering the UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy commenced on May 15, 2026, aimed at deepening strategic partn...

What Happened

A six-day, five-nation diplomatic tour covering the UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy commenced on May 15, 2026, aimed at deepening strategic partnerships across energy, defence, semiconductors, and innovation.
The UAE leg focused on energy security: MoUs on LPG supplies and Strategic Petroleum Reserves cooperation with ADNOC are expected, given the Iran war's disruption to Gulf energy flows.
The Netherlands visit centred on semiconductors, green hydrogen, water management, and defence — reflecting India's push to diversify its critical technology supply chains away from dependence on any single supplier.
Sweden hosts the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm, jointly addressed alongside the European Commission President, signalling the elevation of India's ties with the five Nordic nations (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden).
The Norway stop included bilateral engagements on maritime, clean energy, and the formal Nordic Summit framework, while the Italy visit focused on strategic partnership and G20 convergences.

Static Topic Bridges

India's Energy Security: Structure, Vulnerabilities, and Strategy

Energy security is the ability to ensure adequate, affordable, and reliable supply of energy to support economic activity. India is the world's third-largest consumer of crude oil, importing approximately 87% of its requirements. Over 60% of imports originate from the Persian Gulf — making India acutely exposed to price shocks and supply disruptions in West Asia.

India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) currently hold 5.33 million metric tons, sufficient for approximately 9.5 days of crude oil requirements.
In 2018, ISPRL and ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) signed an agreement allowing the UAE to store over 5 million barrels of crude at India's Mangaluru SPR facility — a unique 'commercially stored SPR' model.
Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) maintain additional stocks for approximately 64.5 days, still below the IEA's recommended minimum of 90 days for member countries.
The UAE is India's fourth-largest source of crude oil (approximately 11% of requirements) and the largest supplier of LPG (approximately 40% of requirements).
India's National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023) targets production of 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports over the long term.

Connection to this news: The UAE visit's focus on LPG and SPR agreements directly addresses the supply security dimension of India's energy vulnerability, particularly amid the 2026 Iran war's disruption to Gulf energy flows.

India-Europe Strategic Partnership: Sectoral Dimensions

India's engagement with Europe has progressively deepened beyond trade to encompass technology, defence, and green transition — driven by India's need to diversify supply chains and Europe's need for reliable partners outside China. The EU is India's largest trading partner bloc.

The India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), launched in 2023, provides a structured forum for cooperation on semiconductors, AI, clean energy, and digital standards — modelled on the US-EU TTC.
The Netherlands hosts ASML, the world's sole manufacturer of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines — critical equipment for manufacturing advanced semiconductors. ASML's technology is subject to strict Dutch and US export controls vis-à-vis China.
India's Semiconductor Mission (2021) provides incentives for setting up semiconductor fabrication units; the Netherlands is a natural partner given ASML's unique global position.
Green hydrogen — produced by electrolyser-based water splitting using renewable energy — is a key decarbonisation pathway for hard-to-abate sectors (steel, shipping, chemicals). India has targeted exports to Europe as a growth market.
Sweden's Gripen fighter jets and defence industrial ecosystem are relevant to India's ongoing defence diversification and 'Make in India' in defence.

Connection to this news: The Netherlands semiconductor focus and Norway/Sweden clean energy discussions are directly aligned with India's twin strategic imperatives: building a domestic semiconductor industry and achieving energy transition — both requiring European technology partnerships.

India-Nordic Relations and the Nordic Summit Format

The five Nordic nations — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden — represent a coherent sub-regional grouping with shared values of open trade, multilateralism, climate action, and maritime governance. The India-Nordic Summit was institutionalised as a leaders-level format.

The 1st India-Nordic Summit was held in Stockholm in 2018 — India's first engagement with Nordic heads of state collectively.
The 2nd India-Nordic Summit was held in Copenhagen in 2022.
The 3rd India-Nordic Summit takes place in Oslo in May 2026 — the current visit.
Nordic countries are global leaders in clean technology, maritime shipping, sovereign wealth funds (Norway's Government Pension Fund Global is the world's largest at over $1.7 trillion), and innovation indices.
Norway is a major oil and gas producer (via the North Sea) and a major source of LNG for Europe — relevant to India's energy diversification strategy.
Sweden holds significant defence industrial capacity; Saab (Sweden) manufactures the Gripen fighter and has a partnership with India for potential co-production.

Connection to this news: The 3rd India-Nordic Summit reflects the institutionalisation of India's engagement with Northern Europe — moving from episodic diplomatic contact to structured summitry covering maritime, clean energy, innovation, and strategic partnership.

India's Foreign Policy Framework: Neighbourhood Plus and Extended Neighbourhood

India's foreign policy prioritises its immediate neighbourhood (SAARC region) under the 'Neighbourhood First' policy, but also extends to what the MEA terms the 'extended neighbourhood' — the Gulf, Central Asia, ASEAN, and increasingly Europe. The five-nation tour reflects this extended neighbourhood strategy.

'Neighbourhood First' (formally articulated post-2014) prioritises SAARC nations and Myanmar in India's diplomatic engagement.
'Act East Policy' (2014) replaced the earlier 'Look East Policy,' deepening engagement with ASEAN and East Asia.
'Think West' engages the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — comprising Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman — as a strategic zone given the 9 million Indian diaspora and energy dependence.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced at the 2023 G20 New Delhi Summit, links India to Europe via the Gulf — making the UAE and European nations structural partners in India's connectivity vision.
Italy's participation in G7 and its role as an Italian-Mediterranean gateway makes bilateral summitry relevant for India's aspirations to engage with the G7 framework as a partner.

Connection to this news: The five-nation tour operationalises multiple strands of India's foreign policy simultaneously — Gulf energy security, European technology access, and multilateral institutional engagement — reflecting the sophistication of India's multi-vector diplomacy.

Key Facts & Data

Tour covers five nations: UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy (May 15–20, 2026).
India imports approximately 87% of its crude oil requirements.
UAE is India's 4th-largest crude oil supplier (~11% of requirements) and largest LPG supplier (~40% of requirements).
India's SPR currently holds 5.33 million metric tons of crude (approximately 9.5 days of supply).
ISPRL-ADNOC SPR storage agreement signed in 2018 — UAE stores over 5 million barrels at Mangaluru facility.
National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023) targets 5 million metric tonnes of annual production by 2030.
India-Nordic Summit: 1st (Stockholm, 2018), 2nd (Copenhagen, 2022), 3rd (Oslo, May 2026).
Norway's Government Pension Fund Global: world's largest sovereign wealth fund, over $1.7 trillion.
IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor) announced at New Delhi G20 Summit, September 2023.
EU is India's largest trading partner bloc; India-EU TTC launched in 2023.
ASML (Netherlands) is the sole manufacturer of EUV lithography machines essential for advanced chip fabrication.