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During his two-day visit to Sweden, PM Modi received the Royal Order of Polar Star and engaged in talks with PM Ulf Kristersson to strengthen cooperation in technology, defense, and trade, which amounted to $7.75 billion in 2025.
This is Prime Minister Modi's 31st international honour.(MEA)Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday conferred with Sweden's Royal Order of Polar Star, the highest honour awarded to a Head of Government by the Scandinavian nation.
PM Modi was awarded the highest distinction that can be given to a Head of Government by Victoria, the Crown Princess of Sweden, in the presence of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in a ceremony at the County Governor’s residence.
What is Royal Order of the Polar Star?
According to a Swedish government release, prior to the visit to Gothenburg, the King decided to confer the Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross, upon the Indian Prime Minister.
The Royal Order of the Polar Star was instituted in 1748 and is intended to recognise personal endeavours for Sweden or for Swedish interests, particularly within public activities, as well as the successful performance of public tasks and duties.
The insignia of the order is the decoration worn on a collar or a black ribbon (with the black representing the darkness of ignorance that the (Polar) star seeks to pierce).
This is Prime Minister Modi's 31st international honour.
Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday for a two-day visit. He was received by his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, at the Gothenburg Airport.
Modi gets special gift from Sweden
During the visit, the Indian PM was also presented with a special gift symbolising the historic bonds between the two countries.
The symbolic gift – a cobalt-blue box adorned with gold lettering and a monogram, contained faithful reproductions of two handwritten cards by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
According to the Swedish government, the box also contained a short text about Tagore’s two visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926, as well as a photograph from his visit to Uppsala University in 1921.
The facsimiles consist of two verses, one written in both Bengali, and English, and the other written in English.
The texts read:
“God’s smile is revealed in love’s light which reveals brother’s face”
“History slowly smothers truth but hastily struggles to revive it in a terrible penance of pain”
The verses were discovered in the Swedish National Archives, in a personal archive belonging to Sven Hedin, an author and explorer, who hosted Tagore in Stockholm in 1921.
Modi's visit to Sweden
During his visit, PM Modi also held wide-ranging talks with his Swedish counterpart Kristersson, focusing on trade, technology, defence, and other key sectors.
During the delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which reached $ 7.75 billion in 2025.
In their talks, the two sides focused on boosting bilateral ties in areas of green transition, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.
About the Author
Bobins Vayalil Abraham
Bobins loves telling the human side of all stories, from the intersection of geopolitics, international relations, and conflicts around the world. In his nearly one-and-a-half-decade career as a journalist, Bobins has covered South Asia, the Middle East, and North America, from elections to mass protests and conflicts. <br> Bobins has also done extensive reporting on environmental issues, climate change, and sustainability, focusing on solutions and people working to make the planet a better place to live. <br> In 2018, Bobins was awarded by Times Internet for the impact of his story on Delhi tree cuttings. Bobins also loves telling the stories of Indian startups and the journey of their founders. <br> Total Years of Experience: 14 <br> Years of experience at LM: Bobins has been a part of Live Mint since February 2026 <br> Interests: When he is not tracking conflicts, Bobins loves to cook, travel across India, click photos, and watch documentaries on history. Past Experience: Before joining Live Mint, Bobins worked with The Indian Express, where he led the Global Breaking News coverage, Indiatimes, where he led the news team, covering everything trending, ANI, where the focus of his coverage was South Asia, and NBS News. <br> Current Role: Bobins is currently working as an Assistant Editor at Live Mint.
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