DIPLOMATS TO INDIA EMPIRE
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DENMARK
DECEMBER 2023
Denmark and India can celebrate our 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. We were among the first ones recognizing the independence of Modern India.
In a historical context Danes came to India back in 1620 when a fleet dispatched by then King arrived in today's Tamil Nadu. Trading stations were established with Tranquebar and later Serampore outside Kolkata as the main posts. Textiles and spices were traded and auctioned in Copenhagen.
In modern India Denmark - through Danida - gave development assistance starting in the early 1960s. That continued for decades. The legacy hereof is still measurable.
Many Danish companies also invested in India and they are still very much present today.
From 2008 and onwards India's importance as an emerging market grew and attracted strong foreign interest- also from Denmark. A joint government commission was established and is today the backbone of our cooperation. Since 2020 the Green Strategic Partnership is the unique framework and driver in our relationship.
-H. E. Freddy Svane, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy, India
NOVEMBER 2018
The international travel guide Lonely Planet has picked Copenhagen as the top city on its 'Top Cities to Visit in 2019' list. Naturally, I would encourage every reader of India Empire to follow Lonely Planet's advice because Copenhagen does stand out with its unique design, bike culture, Tivoli Gardens, 15 Michelin-starred restaurants and a flourishing street food scene. More and more Indians are already traveling to Denmark by way of the direct Air India route, which opened in September 2017, and this year the number of Indian travellers visiting Copenhagen has increased by 20%. Similarly, a growing number of Danes journey east to explore the marvels of India. This is a significant development because it entails regular people-to-people contact and cultural exchange between Indians and Danes, which is crucial to strengthening the friendship between India and Denmark.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India
AUGUST 2018
Agriculture is a cornerstone of both India's and Denmark's economy, and has long been an important area of cooperation between our two nations. Indo-Danish collaboration within agriculture dates back to India's milk revolution, where Denmark played a key role in the development of India's dairy industry. Our agricultural relations continues to grow closer, as exemplified by India's participation in the annual World Food Summit in Copenhagen and our Joint Working Groups on agriculture, food processing and food safety. Danish competences along the food value-chain remain uniquely matched to serve India's agricultural goals. Denmark is committed to leveraging its world-class expertise, to help facilitate Prime Minister Modi's vison of reducing food waste and doubling farmers' income by 2022.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador of Denmark to India
JANUARY 2018
By 2050, more than 6 billion people worldwide will be living in urban areas. By then India will also have overtaken China as the most populous nation on the planet and more and more Indians are expected to move to cities. Urbanization forces cities in India, Denmark and across the globe to optimize sustainable urban development, energy consumption and economic activity. Danish cities hold a long tradition of taking a holistic approach to urban development, where the concern for the environment, people and businesses go hand in hand. By creating sustainable and liveable cities, Copenhagen and Aarhus-Denmark's second largest city-have become international role models. Both cities have made commitments to become CO2 neutral by 2025 and 2030, respectively. The City of Udaipur has been selected among the first 20 cities to receive funds from the Government of India Smart City Programme under the Smart City Mission. In 2016, Udaipur and Aarhus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on city-to-city cooperation. The two cities work closely together on urban water management as an element of the smart, sustainable and liveable city of the future.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India
DECEMBER 2017
Denmark has successfully created the worlds’ most digitized public sector. Digital governance provides citizens, Danish and international companies alike with an array of easily accessible, streamlined and transparent services. This goes a long way in explaining why Denmark repeatedly ranks as the least corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International and number 1 in Europe on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index. The public and private sector work together to ensure that Denmark remains among the digital elite and a recent report concluded that Danish enterprises are at an advanced stage with the integration of digital technology compared to the other EU countries. However, on a global scale the Indian Government’s plan to create a national IT-infrastructure is by far the most ambitious of its kind. That is why Danish Minister for Public Innovation, Ms. Sophie Løhde, visited India in November to participate in the Global Conference on Cyber Security and explore new avenues of Indo-Danish cooperation. Danish tech-companies are internationally renowned for offering the solutions of tomorrow and increased investment, collaboration and knowledge sharing with Indian counterparts could benefit both countries.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India
OCTOBER 2017
On Saturday 16 September, Air India opened its first non-stop travel service between our two capitals. I had the pleasure of being on the inaugural flight from Copenhagen, which took only 6 hours and 38 minutes in the air to reach New Delhi. In Denmark, there is a growing fascination of India and interest in traveling east. The embassy issued 20% more visas in 2016 than in 2015 and applications are increasing in numbers again this year. So the interest is mutual and Indian travelers increasingly journey to Denmark to visit famous attractions like the original Legoland, Tivoli Gardens and the Little Mermaid. Copenhagen, one of the most liveable cities in the world, is a favourite among tourists but Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, is experiencing an influx of tourists as European Culture Capital of 2017 and one of the top three places to visit in Europe according to Lonely Planet.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India
SEPTEMBER 2017
The Danish agriculture and food industry is among the most efficient in the world. The agricultural cluster contributes by 25% to the total Danish export of goods, and therefore the industry must keep developing its potential and sustainability. The success of the Danish agro-industry can be ascribed to a high level of education and organisation, embodied in the Danish co-operative movement. Denmark is endowed with good agricultural soil, and the country is in the lead when it comes to food quality and safety as well as the development of new agricultural products. The Danish food ingredients industry is a major player internationally, with about 15% of the global market. The prominent position as global market leader in organic production is obtained by Danish companies through massive and continuous investments in research and development.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India
AUGUST 2017
"Given the high degree of sustainability and liveability of Danish cities, smart urban development is a platform, where Danish players and companies have a lot to offer. This is true for energy saving, waste treatment including waste to energy, transportation and water management and treatment. In December, this led to the first ever cityto- city cooperation agreement between Denmark and India when Udaipur and the city of Aarhus signed a MoU to work together and share knowledge on water infrastructure. City planning is another key sector, in which Danish players in the consultancy industry are known for their ability to think in integrated and holistic terms resulting in solutions that are more liveable and sustainable."
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India
MARCH 2017
"Again and again, Denmark tops the list when it comes to business environment, efficient competition legislation and work force happiness. For the fifth consecutive year, Denmark has been recently declared the world's least corrupt country by Transparency International. It is no wonder then that Indian investors and businesses increasingly look towards Denmark. For a number of years, the amount of visas issued to Indians has grown with more than 10% annually, and from 2015 to 2016, with 25%. Tourists will also find Denmark to be a real gem. Apart from being the happiest country in the world, Denmark offers thousands of miles of beaches and hundreds of small islands to hop between.
-H.E. Mr Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy to India