Indian Ambassador did not threaten Swedish newspaper: MEA

MEA officials try hard to shift the focus back on the President's visit from Bofors issue

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday asserted that New Delhi did not threaten the Swedish newspaper Dagen Nyheter , for a retraction of comments on the Bofors issue failing which President Pranab Mukherjee’s State visit would be affected.

Denying the claims made by Dagen Nyheter that India’s Ambassador to Sweden and Lativia, Banashri Bose Harrison, had threatened the paper that unless the retraction was carried out, the visit would be jeopardised, an MEA spokesperson said: “The Ambassador made no such threat.”

Ahead of State visit to Sweden and Belarus, which has come under a cloud owing to the controversy over Bofors, MEA officials not only refrained from replying to questions on President Mukherjee’s comments, but also tried hard to shift the focus back on the “visit” itself.

“This subject [President’s interview to

DN ] is not relevant to the visit of the President to Sweden and Belarus. So let us concentrate on what the visit is about,” Secretary West, Navtej Sarna said.

MEA officials said President Mukherjee is scheduled to visit a smart city in Sweden, Hammarby Sjöstad, where he will be briefed on the many aspects of a smart city, including civic governance.

The President’s delegation will include vice chancellors and directors of educational institutions and business leaders. There will be bilateral agreements with a focus on academics, urban development and micro, small and medium enterprises and health sector.

Also, on the agenda with Sweden is the possibility of a visa waiver for those with diplomatic passports.

In Belarus, the President is scheduled to address a joint business conference with his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. On the agenda are agreements on the power sector, with SEBI, BIS and the Finance Ministry.