At the fourth Strategic Partnership Review Meeting held in New Delhi on Monday, India and the EU condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all forms, including cross-border terrorism. Both parties also called for comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine as per the UN Charter and International law.
India and the EU reviewed the India-EU bilateral relationship outlined in the ‘India-EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025’ agreed upon during the 15th India-EU Summit in 2020.
Respecting Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity
During the discussions, both parties highlighted the need for connectivity and said that connectivity projects must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
According to a press release published after the meeting, “Both sides emphasized that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes.”
They discussed the outlooks for a safer, prosperous, more democratic world. Lauding the resumption of the EU-India Human Rights dialogue in 2021, India and the EU committed to holding it annually.
#WATCH | Cooperation between European Union (EU) and India is being growing fast over the past couple of years. There are many sectors in which we can work together. We work together on trade... On the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), we had the fourth round and the next round will… pic.twitter.com/aWuRaHeTD0
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2023
Strengthening Multilateral Cooperation
The meeting also reviewed the progress of the negotiations around the Free Trade Agreement, Investment Protection Agreement, and Agreement on Geographical Indications.
During the meeting, India and the EU highlighted the need for full cooperation at the multilateral level and regular bilateral dialogue on economic issues. The summit deliberations covered climate, clean energy, biodiversity, circular economy, trade, research and innovation, education, mobility, and data protection.
Both sides also assessed the progress of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council, the first meeting of which will be held on 16 May in Brussels. They pledged to deepen their involvement in all sectors and sought to strengthen their cooperation, especially through the Global Gateway.