In a first, India to participate in EU summit with all 27+ member nations as a special invitee
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New Delhi, May 8: Ahead of the India-EU virtual summit on May 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Portugal PM Antonio Costa said that strengthening the dialogue between the world's two largest democratic spaces will boost mutual ties and benefit international trade and investment. The Prime Minister of Portugal, who currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, called the India-EU summit a moment of profound geopolitical significance.
India’s role as a major regional and global player is set to continue to expand over the coming years, and a strengthened partnership would offer Europe an opportunity to diversify relations in a strategic region of the world. The two leaders said, the EU and India have periodically pledged to expand the cooperation, building on the architecture set out in the1994 Strategic Partnership, read the joint op-ed from PM Modi and the Prime Minister of Portugal for Politico. But the realization of that ambition has remained a challenge compared to the opportunities offered by our economies, and the dynamics of technological development.
Expressing hope for the upcoming summit, the leaders said, "The Porto EU-India Leaders' Meeting promises to be a pivotal moment in this regard, giving new momentum to the partnership between the world's two largest democratic spaces, made up of over 1.8 billion people." India and the European Union are likely to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement during the upcoming summit between New Delhi and the 27-nation bloc on Saturday. According to the EU officials, India and the EU are likely to announce strong partnership and cooperation on "very resilient medical supply chain and on pharma" at the India-EU Summit.
They added further said that this dialogue will be crucial to rebalance relations between the EU and the Indo-Pacific. "The journey together between the EU and India will be continued and advanced as of tomorrow in search of new routes of political, economic and technological cooperation, with enormous potential for mutual benefits," PM Modi and PM Costa added.