PM Narendra Modi raises Kim Davy case with Denmark

NEW DELHI: Despite some recent wrinkles in the India-Russia relationship, visiting Russian deputy PM, Dmitry Rogozin, focussed on the special nature of bilateral ties during his conversation with PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat summit in Gandhinagar.
Sources said the conversation included Rosneft’s investment in the Vadinar refinery, cooperation in the automobile sector and the forthcoming visit of the Russian industry minister to Delhi in March.It’s Modi’s turn to visit Moscow this year, which is expected some time in summer.
They added that the PM welcomed increasing Russian investment in various states of India. Specifically in the context of Gujarat, he said India and Russia should strengthen cooperation in the areas of diamond cutting and polishing, dairy production, and the automobile sector.
Modi’s bilateral conversations showed how India has been remiss in pushing through ties with smaller but equally important countries. For instance, the deputy PM of Poland, Piotr Glinski offered to “work with India especially in coal mining, green technology”. Poland is a world leader in clean coal technology, but India, which needs it more than any other country, has been lazy in working with them.
The PM, said a source, “recognised the world class Polish expertise in waste, solid and waste water management and said it could be very useful in our smart cities project.” The PM also met the Swedish education minister Anna Ekstrom, where he thanked Sweden for facilitating India’s entry into Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and support for Nuclear Suppliers Group. The Serbian PM, Aleksandar Vucic said IT, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural production were potential areas for cooperation. In his discussions with the Japanese trade and industry minister Hiroshige Seko, the two countries identified renewable energy as a promising sector.
According to the MEA spokesperson, the meeting between the PM and the Danish minister of energy, utilities and climate change Lars Christian Lilleholt, the PM “sought Danish participation in the areas of ports and shipping, waste water management and energy efficiency, in all of which Denmark had considerable expertise.
However, India’s ties with Denmark are clouded by the Kim Davy issue for which India has not yet found a solution. “PM raised the issue of Kim Davy’s extradition and hoped that Denmark would take into account India’s sensitivities and extend full cooperation.” With the Israeli agriculture minister, Uri Ariel, PM said, “we should also extend cooperation to new areas such as education,” according to the MEA.