No limits to our relationship with India: Denmark Ambassador Freddy Svane

Denmark’s ambassador to India Freddy Svane has said that his country’s ties with India have no limits as there are several areas where both sides can work, including climate change. Speaking at WION Podcast to our correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Ambassador Freddy said, ” I don’t see any limits to where we can walk hand in hand with India…we do not see any limits to our relationship or our friendship”. In 2022, PM Modi visited the country, with a focus on strengthening ties with Copenhagen on a range of issues, from climate change to renewables, to innovation.

Pointing to how both sides are working on dealing with climate change under the “India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership”, the ambassador said, “We understand that India has to move 1.4 billion people who would like to have access to power. The demand for power is increasing drastically in the coming years”. 

Ambassador Freddy Svane, who is concluding his India tenure, is credited for bringing a turnaround in India-Denmark ties. The ties, which were once seen through the lens of the Purulia arms drop case (its key mastermind being Kim Davy a Danish national) are more about increasing economic, sustainable development and green partnership.  Freddy Svane was the first European diplomat to have an engagement with Narendra Modi, in 2011, when the latter was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India and Denmark’s relationship?

Freddy Svane: The relationships between Denmark and India have grown over the years. No doubt about that. We came from a kind of icy context to a very warm context, and I don’t see any limits to where we can walk hand in hand with India. What is important for us is that we can partner with India. I’m a strong supporter of it, because, of course, there are political connotations to it. But the whole idea of moving 1.4 billion people from where they are, to what they should become, economically, socially and so forth, is so so important. So therefore we do not see any limits to our relationship or our friendship.

Sidhant Sibal: You are closing your tenure, and it’s a long tenure, you have served previously as well here in India. So if you can talk about your tenure, something that you want to cherish, something that perhaps you’ll miss

Freddy Svane: First and foremost, when we came to India, the first time there was in mid 2010 we had never been to India. I came with a commercial background. So the whole idea was to tap into the huge potential of India. We came to the posh new airport in India- the Indira Gandhi International Airport- like everywhere in the world. Then we got out, and so the Indian cows, with cows, potholes, two-wheelers, everything in a mess, and so forth. But then we started understanding India. So I think the first inning was about moving from country to nation, and then living civilization. And obviously throughout all these years, these years, we have seen a lot of improvements. I have been crisscrossing India many times. The number of new expressways, new airports, new ports, whatever, has really changed everything. So India is really constantly on the move. It’s a massive move across all sectors.

Sidhant Sibal: Where do you see India’s role in the world?

Freddy Svane: No doubt, with the present regime, with the present Prime Minister, India has taken up an unprecedented proactive, very active role in global affairs. We love, I love, and I support the idea of an independent but also extremely strong India. India, where India is geographically placed, will have an impact on geostrategic, and strategic affairs, as well as geopolitical and geo-economic affairs. So an India who is proactive, not just sitting at home and discussing what to do and what not to do, that’s not good enough. And therefore I’m really, really pleased to see India playing an increasingly important role. And we saw the G20 summit last year here, and India maintained, really, or secured, the G20 as a multilateral forum remained intact and also brought in the African Union. So India plays a role. The honourable Prime Minister plays an important role globally, and regionally, and that is what we would like to see, a strong India defining his own national interest.

Sidhant Sibal: So, coming back to India, Denmark relationship. What is there when it comes to India, and Denmark’s relationship, in terms of collaboration? I mean, your country is well known for dealing with issues like climate change. India is a country which can sway the debate on climate change. So how can Denmark help? 

Freddy Svane: I think I’ll answer you a very brilliant question in the following way. Under my watch, we have had three one-liners “no teaching, no preaching”. So we are not the ones telling India to stop using coal. Coal is the base load out here. So why can’t we come and tell you to stop the use of coal? So “no teaching, no preaching”. Denmark would like to be a source of inspiration. It’s like a menu card. We tell you what we are good at, and then it’s for your side to decide. Can we use that in an Indian context? But we also like to be inspired by India, and most importantly, also when it comes to climate and many other issues. I’m not into what I will call “day-trading diplomacy”. I have to work for the long perspective, and therefore this Vikshit Bharat is very dear to my heart, but also the kind of compass needle that we are trying to fix. So that’s important. And I mean, we understand that India has to move 1.4 billion people who would like to have access to power. The demand for power is increasing drastically in the coming years. And of course, we would like to come with our menu cut and say, Okay, we were happy doing this. That had this impact. It generated jobs and so forth. So that’s for you to look into, and wherever it makes sense, like offshore wind and all that biogas coming up, we have been, I think, very strong partners for India in the future.

Sidhant Sibal: I think the green partnership is something that is the defining part of the relationship.

Freddy Svane: So right, you are. I mean, that came because we were sitting discussing how our relationship could be, given the fact that we’re only 60 lakh people, so it’s a drop of Delhi and so forth. So how could we take our relationship to a strategic level and then define this, I did because my idea literally that we embarked upon this green strategic partnership, and luckily and great, there was great interest on the Indian side. So that’s why we moved and it has served as a very important framework for whatever we are doing in water, energy, green financing, climate and many, many other topics. So that has served us very, very well. 

Sidhant Sibal: I believe your country is a world leader when it comes to dairy products and dealing with dairy India has its own brand when it comes to dairy products. How can your country help India? You have the technology. India has a scale. 

Freddy Svane: I mean, years back in the 1960s we brought in living cows and semen even to India, and so we were cross-breeding cows, and so that also helped increase the yield of milk from cows and so forth. Nowadays we are much more into the transfer of technology. So we have a centre of excellence coming up in Himachal Pradesh. International tender has just been announced, so we will secure the transfer of our expertise, but also our technologies. So we are there, and we are also helping you to cope with all the big challenges that we have been facing.

Sidhant Sibal: Challenges like…?

Freddy Svane: climate.I mean, if you have a big dairy industry, there’s also an impact on climate. What kind of food, how much protein do you need, and so forth, and how do you ensure that the right consistency of water is being used and so forth. What forth. We can transfer ideas. 

Sidhant Sibal: You talked about platforms, and there is one platform where not only India and Denmark work together, but the Nordics work together, as the Indian Nordic Summit. We saw the summit happening in Copenhagen as well, for which the Indian Prime Minister travelled to your country in 2022 so if you can talk about the future of this platform.

Freddy Svane: The Nordic countries, combine the five Nordic countries, if you put together all our economic strengths and all our competences and it goes without saying, I don’t think, from my point of view, we have a kind of hidden geopolitical agenda. We are what we tend to be, and we can be met at face value. So in that context, obviously being very much aligned, we will be a good, good and strong platform for collaboration. And I think India has also moved towards saying that we need to group countries and then we’ll work with them. So, therefore, my expectations for the upcoming Indo-Nordic summit in Norway will be extremely high. But we have to get out of the idea that it’s only a kind of dot and then a couple of years later, we put it on the map and so forth. So we have to develop a common strategy, and perhaps the green strategic partnership could be lifted to the Nordic platform. Some will also argue that the Baltics should be included. And we talked about all these things, the Kingdom of Denmark is not only Denmark, it is also Greenland, the Faroe Islands and so forth. So I think a lot of new reflection will have to go into it. And I think on the Indian side, which I’m in full support of, you see these kinds of reflections as more strategic thinking. So hopefully the Indo-Nordic summit will turn into a new platform, which will ensure that we are combining all our resources for the benefit of the world, but also to India, but also obviously our own people. 

Sidhant Sibal: So my last question to you is about Denmark. So if you can, to our viewers, many of whom will be watching your interview, talk about Denmark’s foreign policy. What is Denmark’s foreign policy?

Freddy Svane: Denmark was a founding member of NATO so today, and of course, in view of this unprovoked attack by Russia, it has made NATO even stronger. We saw Finland and Sweden as very neutral, they joined NATO. So Denmark was a founding member of NATO. And you know, our experience was based on the challenges of the First World War, and more importantly, also the Second World War. So we had to deal with that. Then later we joined the European Union, or the communities that were called in the 1970s and we did that because the UK applied for membership, and the UK was our most important market. So Denmark’s foreign policy is to be pragmatic, but also realistic and secure that the right values that we cherish will have a say in global politics. But we have also realized that we can’t sit in Europe and just define our own interests. It has to be a proactive, interactive relationship, including with India. And therefore India, in our foreign policy, plays a huge, important strategic goal, and I don’t see any limits to it. So Denmark is strong. We only have 60 lakh people, but we are an open economy. Two-thirds of our GDP is generated from free trade and trade globally in India is increasingly becoming a very important partner. All our companies are now really looking into really increasing their investments in India. So the benefit of job creation, Skilling and transfer opportunities so India, dear friends here in India, we are with you.