Kamal Ghorui
European Union vice-president, Kaja Kallas, arrived in New Delhi on Saturday, marking her first official visit to India. The visit comes amid intensified diplomatic engagement between India and the EU.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the official in a post on X, saying the visit builds on regular high-level engagements and comes at a timely moment to further strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership.
“A warm welcome to EU HRVP @kajakallas on her first official visit to India as the EU High Representative/Vice-President. The visit comes at an opportune moment to further strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership, building on the momentum of regular high-level engagements,” he said in a post on X.Ahead of her visit, Kallas, the bloc’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy addressed the European Parliament, where she outlined the European Union’s plans to deepen cooperation with India. She announced that the EU had agreed to proceed with the signing of a new Security and Defence Partnership, aimed at expanding collaboration across several strategic areas.“Europe is ready to deliver on a powerful new agenda with India. Today, the EU agreed to move forward with the signature of a new Security and Defence Partnership. It will expand our cooperation in areas such as maritime security, counterterrorism, and cyber defence. I look forward to signing it next week during the EU-India Summit in New Delhi,” Kallas said.India and the European Union are scheduled 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 nearing the final stages of the deal, describing it as one 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, she said, “There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals. One that would create a market of 2 billion people, accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP.”Von der Leyen confirmed that she will travel to India next weekend to advance work related to the proposed trade agreement. She said the visit would focus on strengthening economic ties and deepening cooperation between Europe and India, while reiterating that Europe remains open to engaging with partners across the world.European Council president Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will undertake a three-day State Visit to India from January 25 to 27. During the visit, they will serve as Chief Guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations.The two leaders will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on January 27. Their schedule includes meetings with President Droupadi 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. Their visit comes as negotiations on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement reach an advanced stage, with the deal expected to be concluded around the time of their visit.
