Amid Gulf conflict, PM on a five-nation trip from May 15

About the UAE leg, the MEA said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates on May 15, 2026, where he will meet the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders will have the opportunity to exchange views on bilateral issues, in particular energy cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. They will also discuss ways to advance the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership underpinned by strong political, cultural, economic and people-to-people links.” “The visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries,” it said.

At a time when India is navigating security and economic challenges amidst the instability in West Asia, the last-minute addition of the UAE is significant.

For the second leg of his visit, PM Modi will be visiting The Netherlands from May 15-17, where he will meet Dutch PM Rob Jetten.

During the visit, he will call on Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima as well.

In his talks with Prime Minister Jetten, Modi will discuss cooperation in “defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on water”.

The MEA said, “Prime Minister’s visit early in the tenure of the new (Dutch) government will provide an opportunity to further deepen and expand the multifaceted partnership.”

For the third leg of the visit, PM Modi will meet Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson on May17-18 at Gothenburg, Sweden.

The MEA said, “PM Modi will hold bilateral talks with PM Kristersson to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which has reached $7.75 billion (2025), and Swedish FDI into India which has reached $2.825 billion (2000 – 2025), as well as collaboration in green transition, AI, emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.”

The two prime ministers will also address the European Round Table for Industry, a leading pan-European business leaders forum, along with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

In the fourth leg of his visit, Prime Minister Modi will visit Norway from May 18 to 19 for the Third India-Nordic Summit and bilateral engagements. This will be Modi’s first visit to Norway, and the first visit by an Indian PM in 43 years.

He will also call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja, and hold bilateral talks with Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre.

The 3rd India-Nordic Summit will take place in Oslo on May 19. Here, PM Modi will be joined by Norwegian PM Støre, Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen, Finland PM Petteri Orpo, Iceland PM Kristrún Frostadóttir and Swedish PM Kristersson.

In the final leg, Modi will visit Italy on May 19-20 and meet Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. He will also call on Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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