Denmark's foreign minister sees India as 'perfect bridge builder' between north and south

Denmark's foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has highlighted that India is in a "perfect situation" to bridge the gap between the North and the South. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal on India's G20 Presidency, Rasmussen praised India's ability to interpret the needs of the poorest countries while also recognizing its development in lifting hundreds of people out of poverty.

The FM is in India as part of the visit of Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik Christian and Crown Princess, Mary Elizabeth. The visit of the Royal Couple is the first visit from the Danish Royal family in two decades. The Crown Prince had last visited India in 2003. Earlier Denmark's Queen Margrethe II had visited India in 1963 as Crown Princess.

WION: How do you see the India-Denmark relationship & anything on the extradition of Kim Davy?
Lars Løkke Rasmussen: I see our relations as very good, moving towards excellent, I would say. And of course, there have been issues, but we have solved that. I mean, when I was here in 2019, as Prime Minister, now I am here as Minister of Foreign Affairs, I agree with honourable Prime Minister Modi, that issue you just mentioned shouldn't be something which we should looked as obstacle for further cooperation. So we decided to leave it with the proper authorities, they are dealing with that. And in the meanwhile, we have improved our relationship and the fact that we now in India was our Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Denmark.

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WION: How do you see India as Chair of G20 able to resolve the conflict?
Lars Løkke Rasmussen: I want to congratulate India for its G20 presidency, the importance of that. India can be a kind of bridge builder between for instance, Europe, US and the global south. And that goes both ways. I mean, I just had a discussion with your minister of foreign affairs, about for instance, some of the world's financial instruments-- IMF, the World Bank, et cetera, how could we modernize that in order to assist the global south in achieving the goals we have defined at a global level. I think, India is much better to interpret the needs of some of the poorest countries than we are. Then on the other hand, India's development you know, hundreds of people have been out of poverty, you have a growing middle class, you have excellent industry, you are sharp in research and development. So I think India is a perfect situation, to combine voices from the north and from the south.

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