NEW DELHI: The European Union delegation organized a ‘Road to Schuman’ seminar in the national capital, during which security experts discussed the security landscape in the region and threat dynamics and identified avenues cooperation, ahead of the Schuman Forum in Brussels later this month. month.
In an official message on Indo-Pacific region means more cooperation with Asian partners, including India.
“Before the next Schuman Forum which will be held in Brussels at the end of May, this seminar organized in Delhi brought together European and Indian security experts to discuss the security landscape in the region and the prospects for the EU and the India to increase their security cooperation. defense issues and in non-traditional security areas,” Delphin said during Monday’s seminar.
The EU and India have taken significant steps in recent years to deepen their security and defense cooperation, including on counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism. maritime safety. The Indo-Pacific region as a whole and the Indian Ocean in particular are key areas where this cooperation can be further strengthened, the European Union delegation said in a press release.
“On May 6, the European Union Delegation to India organized a Road to Schuman event titled “The security environment in the Indo-Pacific region and the EU’s role as a partnership security actor /cooperation with India”, bringing together eminent security and defense experts and practitioners, think tanks, academics, diplomats, Indian government officials and representatives of EU Member States”, the statement added .
This initiative is part of the Road to Schuman events which will feed into the second edition of the Schuman Forum on security and defense, which will take place in Brussels on May 28 and 29.
The seminar provided a platform for dialogue, exchange of views on specific regional security challenges, maritime security environment and policy developments covering the EU strategy for cooperation in Indo -Pacific and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, EU-India maritime cooperation, and regional initiatives to address international maritime security issues.
According to the statement, the seminar also assessed current and emerging challenges in the Indo-Pacific region while identifying future avenues of cooperation between Europe (EU) and India.
The first session of the panel focused on “The overall security environment in the Indo-Pacific region: dynamics and likely developments”. The panelists are Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director General, National Maritime Foundation, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation; and Brigadier Rahul Bhonsle, Director of Security Risks in Asia, discussed the origins and evolution of the Indo-Pacific concept, as well as its current geopolitical dimension and the different actors operating within it.
In the second roundtable, speakers discussed “EU-India security partnerships and cooperation, opportunities/constraints and how India views the EU as a security actor.” security”.
The three panelists IndrBagchi, CEO of Ananta Aspen Centre, Professors Srikanth Kondapalli, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Swasti Rao, Associate Researcher at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis, discussed existing and potential areas of convergence between the EU and India in the field of security and defense , in a bilateral and multilateral context.
During her speech, Joanneke Balfoort, Director of Security and Defense Policy at the European External Action Service, said: “In this interconnected world, mutually beneficial partnerships in peace, security and defense are essential. more necessary than ever. strategic weight on the global security balance, as a key partner of the EU in the Indo-Pacific region. »
On the occasion, Hervé Delphin, EU Ambassador to India, said: “The global environment has become more volatile and unstable with increasing war and security threats. The EU is adapting to this new reality by strengthening its own security and defense, but also working together with international partners to address common security challenges in order to promote peace and stability. The growing interconnectedness between dynamics in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region means that cooperation with Asian partners and especially India has become more important than ever.
He added: “Ahead of the next Schuman Forum which will be held in Brussels at the end of May, this seminar organized in Delhi brought together European and Indian security experts to discuss the security landscape in the region and the prospects for cooperation. between the EU and India. increase cooperation in defense and non-traditional security areas.
He added: “The recently launched Operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES in the Red Sea, with EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, is a concrete example of the EU’s commitment to regional maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. . the areas of maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, non-proliferation and disarmament, other areas like space, hybrid and cyber threats and security dimensions of artificial intelligence are possible areas of growth for EU-India cooperation“.
The second edition of the Schuman Forum on Security and Defense (Schuman Forum) will take place in Brussels on 28-29 May 2024. It will bring together high-level representatives from the European Union (EU), EU Member States and partner countries, the international community. and regional organizations, as well as leading think tanks and universities.
The Forum aims to seek avenues of cooperation on how current and potential peace, security and defense partnerships can address the most pressing common security threats and challenges and contribute to global peace and security as well as the maintenance of the rules-based international order and multilateralism. . India is one of the main invited partners at the Forum.
On the morning of 6 May, the EU and India also held their second consultations on security and defense, co-chaired by Director Balfoort from the EU side and Vishvesh Negi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) of the Ministry of Defense on the Indian side.
During the consultations, the two sides agreed to deepen their security and defense cooperation. They both reiterated their commitment to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy, Rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The European Union and the countries of the Indo-Pacific each have an interest in their respective prosperity and security. With its Indo-Pacific Strategy and its Global Gateway, the EU aims to contribute to stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region, by promoting the principles of democracy, state of law, human rights and international law, acting as a “smart facilitator” for peace and security in non-traditional security areas, in full partnership with other actors in the region, primarily the India.
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