India and Finland on Thursday agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership centred on digitalisation and sustainability, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in New Delhi.
The announcement came during Stubb’s state visit to India, where the two leaders also oversaw the exchange of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) aimed at expanding cooperation in technology, education, mobility and environmental initiatives.
Addressing a joint press statement, Modi said the new framework would deepen collaboration in emerging and high-technology sectors.
“India and Finland have decided to transform our bilateral ties into a strategic partnership centred on digitalisation and sustainability. This step will accelerate cooperation across a range of future-oriented technologies,” he said.
Both leaders noted that collaboration would extend to areas such as artificial intelligence, 6G telecommunications, quantum computing, clean energy, semiconductors and critical minerals.
During the visit, the two sides exchanged agreements covering cooperation in environmental protection, a migration and mobility partnership, and collaboration in statistics.
Modi said the mobility agreement would help connect innovation ecosystems in the two countries while also encouraging student exchange, research partnerships and startup collaboration. Finland, widely recognised for its education system, is increasingly attracting Indian students and skilled professionals.
The leaders also agreed to expand academic cooperation in teacher training, school-level partnerships and future education models, strengthening engagement from “school to industry”.
Highlighting the long-standing technological link between the two countries, Modi referred to the role of Finnish telecommunications company Nokia in expanding mobile connectivity in India. He also noted Finnish architectural collaboration in building the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition, he mentioned the development of the world’s largest bamboo-to-bioethanol refinery at Numaligarh in Assam as another example of India–Finland cooperation in green technologies.
Finland’s expertise in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and clean-energy technologies is expected to complement India’s push to expand 5G networks and invest in next-generation 6G research.
Stubb arrived in New Delhi on a four-day state visit at the invitation of Modi and was accorded a ceremonial welcome on arrival. He is also the chief guest and keynote speaker at the Raisina Dialogue 2026, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics.
Earlier in the day, Stubb met External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and discussed the evolving global security landscape, including conflicts in West Asia and the war in Ukraine, as well as the importance of stronger relations between India and the European Union.
In his remarks, Modi said the current international environment is marked by uncertainty and conflict. “From Ukraine to West Asia, several regions are witnessing ongoing tensions. In such circumstances, stronger cooperation between India and Europe will contribute to stability, development and shared prosperity,” he said.
Both leaders underlined dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred means to resolve conflicts and expressed support for international efforts to bring an end to ongoing hostilities in different regions.
Finland remains one of India’s key partners in the Nordic region and within the European Union. The discussions during the visit focused on strengthening cooperation across sectors ranging from trade and innovation to climate technology and research, while reinforcing the broader India-Europe partnership.
