New Delhi [India], May 18 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "not responding" to a journalist's request for questions after his remarks during the press statement with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre.
Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of "running from a few questions".
The Congress leader made the comments in response to a post on X by a Norwegian newspaper commentator who said PM Modi did not take her question.
She also talked about India and Norway's ranking in World Press Freedom Index.
"When there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear. What happens to India's image when the world sees a compromised PM panic and run from a few questions?" Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
PM Modi is in Norway in the fourth leg of his five-nation visit. He reached Oslo after visiting the UAE, the Netherlands and Sweden.
PM Modi held today bilateral talks with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo.
In a special gesture emblematic of the close ties between India and Norway, on his arrival at the Oslo Airport this morning, he was warmly received by Prime Minister Støre.
The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of India-Norway relations, covering trade and investments, follow up on the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), climate action and energy transition, blue economy and ocean governance, research and higher education, Arctic and polar cooperation, space, and talent mobility. They agreed to elevate ties to a Green Strategic Partnership, underscoring their shared commitment to sustainability and green growth.
Both leaders agreed that there is huge potential for boosting economic and commercial partnership. Prime Minister welcomed greater investments by Norwegian enterprises in India. The two leaders underlined the aim of doubling the value of current trade between India and Norway by 2030 and encouraged business representatives to work towards dynamic tie-ups across sectors to meet the investment commitment of USD 100 billion under TEPA and creation of one million jobs in India.
The leaders tasked their teams to deepen cooperation in the blue economy, including marine ecosystem protection, shipbuilding, green shipping, tunneling and infrastructure, space, AI, robotics, cyber security, seafarer training, fisheries and aquaculture. They reaffirmed UNCLOS principles and welcomed Norway joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. Prime Minister Modi invited Norway to participate in Bharat Innovates 2026 to be held in France in June 2026. He also suggested setting up a Start-up Innovation Hub and Green Innovation Hackathon between the two countries.
Underlining cooperation in environment and renewable energy, the leaders called for more collaboration in niche technologies such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), offshore wind, and larger investments by Norway in clean energy projects in India.
The leaders agreed to strengthen polar research and logistics in the Arctic, reaffirming environmentally responsible practices. They emphasized joint work in research and innovation, including renewable energy, oceans, climate, health, critical minerals, emerging technologies and IT. In higher education, they agreed to explore joint degree programmes, mutual recognition of qualifications, and mobility of students and faculty.
They also discussed collaboration in multilateral fora and exchanged views on key regional and global issues of mutual interest. The Norwegian Prime Minister reiterated Norway's support for India's permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council.
The leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and urged concerted global action to deal with the menace.
They noted potential in defence cooperation and defence industrial collaboration, agreed to explore third-country cooperation in digital public goods, and tasked ministries to establish a Joint Working Group on Digitalization to drive the digital transition.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor