‘Natural partners’: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on holding first-ever EU-India strategic dialogue’

BRUSSELS(Belgium): In a significant move, India and the European Union held the first-ever EU-India strategic dialogue on cyber security, defense, and space in Brussels on Tuesday (local time).

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held a press conference along with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas.

In her opening remarks, Kallas said the two sides are “natural partners,” jointly representing a quarter of the world’s population and GDP.

“The European Union and India are natural partners. We make up a quarter of the world’s population and GDP. By working together, we have great potential to make a global impact. Today, we are holding the first-ever EU-India strategic dialogue. This marks a significant step forward in our partnership and in addressing threats like cyberattacks and foreign interference. It also paves the way for much deeper defence cooperation, sharing expertise and exploring joint initiatives. First on security, Europe and India face many of the same challenges. Terrorism, military build-ups and violations of international law affect both of us,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

India and the EU conducted a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating their shared commitment to upholding international law at sea. The two sides are strengthening their cooperation on counter-terrorism, including information sharing, capacity building, and joint efforts to combat terrorism financing.

Kallas said, “Last week, India and the European Union held a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean. This is more than symbolic. It shows our shared commitment to uphold international law at sea. EU-India cooperation on counter-terrorism is also growing stronger. We have already worked together on information sharing, capacity building, and joint efforts to combat terrorism financing. Today, we also agreed to hold our next counter-terrorism dialogue in autumn. The EU is working together with India and together more on space.”

There is a strong case for an EU-India Security and Defense Partnership, given the interconnectedness of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

Noting that EU already has such partnerships with seven other countries, she noted, “Today we renewed our intention to work towards this goal because peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific are closely intertwined with peace and security in Europe. Beyond defence, we cooperate in many other areas, from digital connectivity to research and innovation to green energy and trade.”

India and the EU have agreed to establish a formal dialogue on space, covering areas such as satellite navigation and security. The two sides already share data from Earth’s observation satellites, further enhancing their cooperation in space.

“We already have access to each other’s data from Earth’s observation satellites. And at our meeting, we agreed to establish a new formal dialogue on space. This will cover areas such as satellite navigation and security and the first session is to take place also autumn this year. Looking ahead, there is a strong case for EU-India Security and Defense Partnership,” said EU foreign policy chief.

India and the EU are committed to progressing towards an ambitious free trade agreement this year. Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based international order, emphasizing the importance of strong and trusted partnerships.

Speaking about the progress on the Free Trade agreement discussions between India and EU, Kallas said, “We are committed to progress towards an ambitious free trade agreement this year. This was agreed by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Modi in February, and finally, Minister Jaishankar and I also reaffirmed our shared commitment to multilateralism and stable, rules-based international order. In today’s contested global landscape, it is more than ever important to build strong and trusted partnerships. The European Union is a reliable, predictable and credible partner for India. With the visit of the European Union College to Delhi in February and next year’s EU-India Summit, we want to deepen our partnership at all levels further.”

Kallas stressed the EU’s support for India’s right to protect its citizens and condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Kallas said, “I want to reiterate the EU’s strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Those responsible must be held accountable. India has the right to protect its citizens in accordance with international law. Minister Jaishankar, you and I were in close contact after the attack.”

She further added, “I regret the tragic loss of lives in India and Pakistan. The EU supports continued talks between India and Pakistan to reduce tensions. No one stands to gain from renewed conflict in the region.”

Moreover she responded to nuclear threats and said, “It is clear from the discussions that we had right now that nuclear threats cannot pay off, and this is a mutual concern. We see different actions, in our case, Russia using nuclear threats, and we also see other actors in the world using this. So we will discuss this further.”

Speaking about India’s policy, she said, “Our India policy is related to our bilateral relations. It’s not against anybody, but it’s really to our benefit to see where the mutual interests of both sides are.”

“In this global changing world, we need more partners and that’s why we are working to really intensify our cooperation regarding security and defence, for example.” (ANI)