New Delhi (India), January 27 (ANI): Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said key documents were signed and exchanged ahead of the leaders’ and historic negotiations on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
Misri was accompanied by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal during the special briefing on the state visit of the President of the EU Council and the President of the European Commission to India, where he said that over the last decade, relations between India and the European Union have grown steadily.
Misri said, “Today, Presidents Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Modi co-chaired the 16th India-EU Summit. They held in-depth bilateral talks, both in restricted format and at delegation level.
“Several key documents were signed and exchanged in front of the leaders, including the joint announcement on the conclusion of negotiations for a landmark and historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement, an equally important Security and Defense Partnership Agreement between the two sides and a Memorandum of Understanding on a Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework, among others. Prime Minister and President von der Leyen also spoke at the India-EU Business Forum at Bharat Mandapam, attended by over 100 CEOs from both sides,” he added.
Speaking about the visit of European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to India, Misri said the results of the visit are deeply strategic in nature.
“The results are deeply strategic in nature. Over the past decade, relations between India and the European Union have continued to develop. They have not only grown in size but have also grown in importance, as evidenced by the level and frequency of contacts and engagements between the two sides. In our rapidly changing world, the India-EU strategic partnership has value beyond the bilateral context, particularly as we witness changes in the global economic, technological and strategic landscape,” he said.
Misri said the EU and India are both huge markets and have high stakes when it comes to concentration of manufacturing chains.
“As the world’s second and fourth largest markets, India and the EU also have very high stakes in confronting all the critical global challenges of the moment, including over-dependence and concentration of global production and supply chains on a limited set of geographies, an ineffective multilateral system, emerging multipolarity and growing protectionist tendencies in different parts of the world. “That is why, as two great pluralist democracies and open market economies, our leaders have decided to advance this very strategic partnership for mutual benefit and for the greater good of the world’s population as a whole,” he said.
On the India-EU FTA, Misri said it was a very important issue on the agenda and there was consensus that the IMEC initiative should be pursued.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) comprises an Eastern Corridor connecting India to the Gulf region and a Northern Corridor connecting the Gulf region to Europe. It will include a rail and sea-rail transit network as well as road transport routes.
“Connectivity is a very important thread in the agenda between India and the EU. This was on the agenda today, there was a debate about it and there was a consensus that the IMEC initiative must be continued and that we must now move from the working meetings that have taken place to higher level meetings, culminating in the summit of IMEC member countries. So, between Europe and India, we are united on this point, and we will advance this project with the other collaborators within IMEC,” according to Misri.
Official spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said on Tuesday that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the India-EU Business Forum.
https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/2016101409780006980?s=20
In an article on X, he said, “Alongside President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the India-EU Business Forum. The Forum brought together business leaders from both sides.
Jaiswal added: “The discussions reflected the depth of the India-EU economic partnership, covering key sectors such as trade and investment, manufacturing, digital and emerging technologies, clean energy and green transition, mobility and skills, startups and innovation, infrastructure and resilient supply chains. Following the conclusion of the historic India-EU FTA negotiations, the Forum is expected to provide new impetus to business-to-business relations, enabling India and the EU to deepen cooperation, unlock new opportunities, create jobs and grow together. (ANI)
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