EU's Kallas Hails India FTA: "We Take Long to Negotiate, But We Stick to Deals"

Speaking at a Conference on Europe India and a changing World Order in the national capital Kallas said the deal may have taken long to negotiate byt now Europe intends to stick to it.

"When I go around the world, I see more and more countries want to build partnerships with Europe because we are predictable, which is nowadays becoming a value. We take a long time to negotiate deals, but when we do, we stick to them. We implement them, and that has become something that is of value... When we get there finally, we really keep our promises, and we keep our agreements. I think this is extremely important... We can do a lot together in different fields, and we have mapped different fields when it comes to security, defence, foreign policy, maritime security, and cyber security. We are entering into negotiations about that because to make decisions, you have to be aware of the facts and intelligence that is there," she said.

Kallas said that during her visit she had seen a genuine interest in building trade relations especially at a time when some superpowers are attempting to rewrite the multilateral order.

"I think the feeling in the room is really genuine, genuine interest for building trade relations, but also other issues when it comes to geopolitical picture as well. Because we see superpowers wanting to rewrite the multilateral order, where everything is divided... Coming from a small country, I can honestly say this is not in the interest of small and medium-sized countries. India is not a small country. But still, I think, there is room for cooperation in Europe. The European Union and India also have a relationship regarding foreign policy," she said.

Kallas said that at the moment Europe faces a a threat from Russia and it was essential to look to strengthen Europes capabilities.

"We have this existential threat coming from Russia at this time. We have our member states increasing their defence expenditure, and then it also comes down to where you can buy capabilities and with whom you can incorporate. In the first round, we also want this money to go to the European industry, but if the European industry is not able to deliver, then we can buy outside, and I think the competition that comes from such a big country like India is also beneficial for our industries to work to find solutions," she said.

Earlier, a joint statement released by Eurpean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with European Council President Costa and Prime Minister Modi said, "We are not only making our economies stronger. We are also delivering security for our people in an increasingly insecure world. Today, the world's two largest economies and democracies launch their first ever security and defence partnership. This is a landmark departure. And a trust-based platform for cooperation on the strategic issues that matter most."

"In so doing, we will help to build each other's resilience. Europe and India have a long history of cooperation in the defence industry. Now, we will enhance this teamwork even further. We will deepen our cooperation on maritime security. For example, joint naval exercises to tackle piracy. And we will step up our work on countering cyber and hybrid threats, which are getting more sophisticated by the day. Our partnership includes a dedicated dialogue on space security, from situational awareness to secure connectivity and stronger cooperation on counterterrorism. Finally, we are launching negotiations on a Security of Information Agreement. Europe and India have chosen to be reliable partners for one another. And this is how we demonstrate the trust we share," the statement said.

- ANI