Munich: Top EU official Kaja Kallas Sunday highlighted security ties with India in Munich, saying that the bloc has forged defence partnerships with ten countries so far, including India, while emphasising international ties are one of its priorities.
While speaking at the Munich Security Conference Sunday, Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said that to face the new rising challenges, Europe must work on a new security policy.
Countries want to diversify their partnerships to manage the risks in the rougher world, including a constant threat of tariffs, Kallas, who is also the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said.
She said that the vast majority of countries want the same thing: stability, growth, and prosperity for their people. The best way to get there is to go together.
European Union has built the largest free trade network in the world. Close to 80 countries are now covered by EU trade agreements. And on top of trade, we are creating partnerships on security and defence, 10 so far, including India and Australia, she added.
Kallas said that enlargement is a geopolitical choice, and we must say, yes.
The best way to get there is to go together, she added.
India and the European Union sealed a landmark free trade agreement– billed as the mother of all deals last month to create a market of two billion people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top EU leadership unveiled a transformative five-year agenda to largely leverage trade and defence in protecting the rules-based world order.
The two sides also inked two crucial pacts, one on security and defence collaboration and another on the mobility of Indian talents to Europe.