Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden in New Delhi this afternoon.

The leaders affirmed the common desire for building greater convergences on bilateral, regional and global matters of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister and the King also chaired the India-Sweden High-Level Policy Dialogue on Innovation Policy.

They emphasised the role of collaborative tech-innovation leadership of the two countries in meeting future challenges. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived on a state visit to India this morning at the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind.

They were given a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan. This is His Majesty’s third visit to India. The King will meet the President this evening.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the King and the Queen after their arrival and held discussions on ways to deepen bilateral ties.

Apart from the official programme in Delhi, the royal couple is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Uttarakhand.

On the other hand, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a wide-ranging conversation with his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde in New Delhi this evening.

In a series of tweets, Dr Jaishankar said they discussed expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment, manufacturing, health and smart cities. He added that there was a strong identity of views on multilateralism.

Both the ministers agreed on a new consultation mechanism. They also discussed challenges posed by terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism and emphasised that right to life is the most basic human right.

They agreed to work together in international fora to address the key challenge of terrorism.