Finland's President Urges World to "Become More Indian," Modi Praises His Ironman Spirit

"We should all become a little bit more Indian," Stubb said, delivering the joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in the national capital after a bilateral meeeting.

PM Modi, on the other hand, in his address, lauded Stubb's personal achievements, noting the 57-year-old's participation in Ironman competitions as an inspiration.

"You have completed the Ironman Triathlon. We are confident that with an energetic leader like you, we will also achieve a new triathlon of innovation, digital, and sustainability between India and Finland...", PM Modi said.

An Ironman Triathlon is a premier, single-day endurance race consisting of a 3.86 km swim, a 180.2 km bike ride, and a 26.2-mile 42.2 km marathon run, completed consecutively. Organised by the World Triathlon Corporation, it is considered one of the world's most challenging one-day events, with a 17-hour cutoff time

Stubb has achieved impressive age-group results, including a 15th-place finish in the 55-59 group at the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship

Meanwhile, in his joint address today with PM Modi, Stubb described India as one of the world's most influential countries and a key strategic partner for Europe.

"India is one of the world's largest and most influential countries and the world's largest democracy. As we have seen, you are now a key strategic partner for Europe. Its importance in foreign and security policy and trade policy is difficult to overstate," Stubb said.

He also praised India's economic growth, calling it an "economic miracle."

"You are one of the fastest-growing economies in the world that we can witness here every day. What I really respect about your foreign policy is that you've never been under illusions. You've always based your foreign policy on a pragmatic and realistic worldview," he said.

Stubb added that India's approach to maintaining strategic autonomy while supporting multilateral cooperation offered an important lesson to the world.

"You've showed the rest of the world that strategic caution and safeguarding autonomy mean a lot, all the while championing multilateralism and global cooperation. I believe personally that we should all become a little bit more Indian," he said.

The Finnish President also highlighted the shared democratic values between the two nations.

"I salute your diplomatic skills when you say that we stand here as two big democracies. There is one big and one slightly smaller, but I think the key message is that we share values," Stubb said.

Recalling his earlier visit, Stubb said the transformation in India over the past decade was remarkable.

"My last visit to India was in 2013, and the change I am seeing in India today is palpable. It's an economic miracle we are witnessing," he said.

Sharing his cultural experience, Stubb said he arrived in India during the festival of Holi and enjoyed the atmosphere.

"I arrived yesterday in the middle of Holi, and I was able to escape some of the colour attacks that were coming at me, but it was a great experience as such," he said.

Welcoming Stubb on his first visit to India as President, Prime Minister Modi described him as a distinguished global leader and intellectual.

"I warmly welcome President Stubb on his first visit to India as President of Finland. President Stubb is not only a renowned global leader but also a respected thinker and writer. It is a great honour and pleasure for us to have an experienced and dynamic leader like you as the chief guest of this year's Raisina Dialogue," PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi added that both leaders agreed that conflicts cannot be resolved through military means alone.

"We are in agreement that no issue can be resolved through military conflict alone," PM Modi said after the talks.

President Stubb is visiting India to participate as the chief guest at the Raisina Dialogue and to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Finland across sectors including trade, technology and security.

- ANI