PM Modi urges Finland to join International Solar Alliance, CDRI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged Finland to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) saying these international institutions will benefit from the expertise of the Nordic country.

The Prime Minister, who held a virtual summit with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, said about 70 countries have received more than 58 million doses of India-made vaccines against coronavirus.

"I urge Finland to join the International Solar Alliance and CDRI. These international institutions will benefit from Finland's expertise," he said.

He referred to India's ambitious renewable energy targets and said the country intends to have an installed capacity of 450 gigawatts by 2030.

"In order to increase international cooperation, we have initiated the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)," he said.

Referring to the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said India sent medicines and other essentials to more than 150 countries last year. "And in recent weeks, about 70 countries have received more than 58 million doses of India-made vaccines," he said.

PM Modi also said that both Finland and India believe in a rules-based, transparent, humtarian and democratic global order. "We have strong cooperation in areas like technology, innovation, clean energy, environment, education," he said.

In her remarks, the Finland Prime Minister lauded India's vaccination programme amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The top item on the agenda of all heads of governments is the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to recognize the efforts of India in an extensive vaccination programme," she said.

She said Finland is developing COVID-19 vaccine including a nasal vaccine.

"The pandemic has reminded us that we have to live together with nature," she said.

ISA is an alliance of over 120 countries initiated by India, most of them being sunshine countries which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

CDRI is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks and financing mechsms that aim to promote resilience of new infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

( With inputs from ANI )