New Delhi: Stating that India and European Union are natural partners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the partnership is useful for peace and stability in the world.
Addressing the 15th India-EU Summit via videoconferencing, the prime minister said, “Both India and EU share universal values like democracy, pluralism, inclusivity, respect for international institutions, multilaterism, freedom and transparency. ... India-EU partnership is useful for peace and stability in the world. This reality has become even more clear in today's global situation.”
The summit was scheduled to take place in March but had to postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic worldwide.
Addressing the India-EU Summit. https://t.co/7rdTwnafaM
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 15, 2020
The summit is aimed at strengthening the ties between India and the European Union on a number of areas such as trade, defence, investment to name a few.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had also participated in the summit.
“We are facing a pandemic and have great challenges. In such times, the India-EU relationship becomes very important. We can play a great role,” Modi said.
He also urged the democratic countries to come together in case of dealing with post-Covid-19 situation.
The 🇪🇺 & 🇮🇳 believe in a rules-based global order, effective multilateralism and sustainable development.
— EU in India (@EU_in_India) July 15, 2020
As the 15th #EUIndiaSummit kickstarts, it opens a new chapter in the 🇪🇺-🇮🇳 Strategic Partnership.#EUIndiaEkSaath pic.twitter.com/NzTSuq0kyv
“In the post-Covid world, there have been new challenges in the economic world globally. To solve this, democratic countries must come together,” the prime minister added.
“We’ve till date sent medicines to nearly 150 countries. We have also taken the initiative to create a joint operation against Covid in our region,” he said.
Apart from the current challenges, long-term challenges like climate change are also a priority for both of us. “In our efforts to increase the use of renewable energy in India, we invite the investment and technology of Europe,” he said.
