European Union Vice President Kaja Kallas arrived in New Delhi on Saturday on her first official visit to India. The visit comes amid intensified diplomatic engagement between India and the European Union.Welcoming the official in a post on Twitter, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the visit builds on regular high-level engagement and comes at the right time to further strengthen the India-EU strategic partnership.
“A warm welcome to EU HRVP @kajakallas on her first official visit to India as High Representative/Vice-President of the European Union. The visit comes at an opportune time to further strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership, building on the momentum of regular high-level engagement,” he said in a post on X.Ahead of his visit, Kallas, the bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, addressed the European Parliament, where he outlined the EU’s plans to deepen cooperation with India. He announced that the EU has agreed to move ahead with the signing of a new security and defense partnership, which aims to expand cooperation across a number of strategic areas.Kallas said, “Europe is ready to work on a powerful new agenda with India. Today, the EU agreed to move forward with the signing of a new Security and Defense Partnership. This will expand our cooperation in areas such as maritime security, counter-terrorism and cyber defence. I look forward to its signing during the EU-India Summit in New Delhi next week.”India and the European Union are to hold the 16th India-EU Summit in New Delhi, where both sides are expected to adopt a new comprehensive strategic agenda to guide future cooperation.The diplomatic engagements coincide with progress in negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the European Union. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the two sides are close to finalizing an agreement, calling it a deal of significant scale.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, von der Leyen highlighted Europe’s focus on expanding trade and strengthening international partnerships. Referring to the proposed agreement with India, he said, “There is still work to be done. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade deal. Some call it the mother of all deals. Which will create a market of 2 billion people, almost a quarter of global GDP.”“Von der Leyen confirmed she would travel to India next weekend to pursue work related to the proposed trade deal. He said the visit will focus on strengthening economic ties and deepening cooperation between Europe and India, reiterating that Europe is open to engaging with partners around the world.European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will pay a three-day state visit to India from January 25 to 27. During the visit, he will serve as the chief guest at the 77th Republic Day celebrations.The two leaders will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on January 27. His program also includes a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu as well as restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The participation of EU leaders in the Republic Day celebrations and the upcoming summit is expected to further strengthen the strategic partnership and advance cooperation in priority areas of mutual interest.President Costa and President von der Leyen are visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His visit comes as negotiations on the India-EU free trade agreement have reached an advanced stage, and the deal is expected to be concluded around his visit.
