Obama to visit Sweden with focus on economy, energy issues

U.S.'s President Barack Obama is going to meet Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm on Wednesday over issues covering economy, jobs, free trade, climate and energy, said the Swedish government in a statement on Tuesday.Although the international financial crisis that had affected most of the countries' economy had not passed yet and the euro area continued to face challenges, the Swedish economy had been relatively strong despite the slow growth and the high-level unemployment rate, said the statement.The statement also said that Sweden was an export-dependent country and trade was the key to creating prosperity both in Sweden and globally."Both the United States and Sweden were strong advocates of free trade in an international context," the statement said.Sweden had generally working towards free trade in the European Union (EU) while it was also working hard to bring about the free trade negotiations which the EU began in June this year with the United States.Meanwhile, Sweden had been successful in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and increasing its share of renewable energies in relation to final energy use."Sweden and the US were working together in the Swedish American Green Alliance (SAGA), which focused on energy and green technology, covering measures for sustainable urban development, electric cars and smart electricity grids, among other things," the statement said.U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Sweden on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.According to the Swedish government, the president's programme includes dinner with the Nordic heads of state, a meeting with the King and Queen at the Royal Palace, a visit to the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.