PM Modi calls off visit to Croatia, Norway and the Netherlands
The visit to the three countries was planned during May 13-17 but had not been formally announced so far by any of the countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called off a planned visit to Croatia, Norway and the Netherlands next week following India’s military strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The visit to the three countries was planned during May 13-17 but had not been formally announced so far by any of the countries. He was set to co-chair the third India-Nordic Summit in Norway, the centre-piece of the visit.
The people said on condition of anonymity that New Delhi had informed the capitals of the three countries about the visit being called off after India’s military strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early on Wednesday morning.
Called ‘Operation Sindoor’, the strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and PoK were carried out in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 that killed 26 men, mostly tourists, making it the worst such attack on civilians since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The India-Nordic Summit brings together the leaders of India, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The first summit was held in Sweden in 2018 and the second in Denmark in 2022.
The visits to Croatia and the Netherlands were aimed at bolstering cooperation in areas ranging from trade to the green economy.
