With an EU-India summit scheduled for 8 May, the President of the European Council said in a speech at Raisina Dialogue 2021 - an Indian geopolitical conference - on Wednesday 14 April, that the EU and India, “as the two largest democracies”, were “key partners”.
“We can, and we should, do much more together”, he explained. “Concretely, we propose to focus on four strands of cooperation: Covid-19; climate change; economic cooperation; and security and peace”, he said.
The President of the European Council said it is in the interest of both sides “to maximise the untapped potential of trade and investment between our two major economies”, while the EU is already India's first trading partner and foreign investor.
Furthermore, he called for a joint EU-India commitment to green growth, circular economy and clean energy. For Mr Michel, India is also a key partner in working on a democratic digital standard.
Finally, the President of the European Council recalled that the EU was determined to play its part in the security of the Indo-Pacific region (Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, etc.). “Our friendship and partnership with India are the cornerstone of our geopolitical strategy. We are determined to further develop the ties between our peoples”, he added.
During his speech at the Raisina Dialogue, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that there was “real potential” for intensifying the dialogue between the Alliance and India, which shares the same “values and interests” and is “on the front line of many of our common security challenges”.
See Mr Michel’s speech: https://bit.ly/3dZTg1g (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)