NEW DELHI: The European Union (EU) and India are working on several measures to deepen security cooperation while the 27-members block receives New Delhi as a vital partner for maritime security and guaranteeing free trade across the Indo-Pacific, the head of the EU political and security committee said on Friday.
Delphine Pronk, president of the Political and Security Committee and key assistant to the defense and the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said in an interview with HT that the European group will unveil her new vision for a strategic relationship with India in the coming days, and the two parties discuss an information security agreement to facilitate cooperation in sensitive matters.
The Political and Security Committee, which includes ambassadors from the 27 EU members, is first visit to India for interactions with the Secretary of Defense Rajesh Kumar Singh and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vikram Misri to explore new ways to deepen the defense and security partnership.
The India-EU relationship, said Pronk, went to a “strategic summit” after the first visit to the college of commissioners led by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in February and the first strategic dialogue between Kallas and the Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar in June.
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“Partnerships like the EU and India are decisive to make sure that we make our values progress (and) our interests,” said Pronk. “We have a very strong strategy on … a closer commitment with Indo-Pacific partners and India is crucial. You are a key partner to advance our joint interests (including) freedom of navigation, freedom of the flow of consumer goods, and it is something that we are not only talking about but also. “
The European Commission and Kallas will soon announce communication or joint vision of the strategic relationship with India, and the two parties work on an information security agreement to advance “cooperation in very sensitive and national areas,” said Pronk.
“(This) shows you how important it is, and not only for European security, but also for global security,” she said, stressing growing cooperation between the EU and India on maritime security.
War ships from the EU states have been deployed with the aspid operation, which focuses on the protection of market navigation in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and with the Atalanta operation, which counter-piratics and the smuggling of narcotics and weapons in the Horn of Africa and the West Indian Ocean, is committed to the Indian Navy for joint exercises and ports.
The two parties will also advance talks on a potential security and defense partnership. “So there are many areas in which we see that there could be a higher level engagement potential,” said Pronk.
The visit to the Political and Security Committee is one of the preparations for the India-EU summit at the start of next year, when the new strategic relations program with India should be officially adopted. The committee’s trip to New Delhi coincided with the visits by the EU trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, and the agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen to stimulate negotiations for a free trade agreement, reflecting the increased accent of the Bloc on India.
Pronk also underlined the importance of links with India in the context of the role of China in the invasion of Indo-Pacific and Russia of Ukraine. EU policy towards China has a three-part approach that perceives Beijing as a partner, competitor and systemic rival, she said.
“When we talk about systemic rivalry, in particular in security and defense, we see that China allows Russia to continue to wage its war against Ukraine. It is a vital and fundamental security interest in European security,” said Pronk. “We are firm where we must be (with China) and we cooperate where we can.”
The invasion of Ukraine Russia has endeavored European security, said Pronk, referring to the “unprecedented violation” of this week of Polish airspace.
“We call partners, including India, to see this perspective of security which is so fundamental for the threat of the way we see the world order,” she said. “We ask our partners, and this includes India, to condemn these violations, to ensure that the Russian war economy is unable to maintain their efforts to continue to invade Ukraine, but also to ensure that our peace efforts succeed in leading to lasting peace.”
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