Jaishankar and EU president strengthen India-EU strategic ties

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen here and praised her "strong condemnation" of the Pahalgam attack and solidarity in combating terrorism.

Jaishankar called on the top EU leader during his visit to Belgium and Luxembourg.

"Pleased to call on @EU_Commission President @vonderleyen this morning. Welcomed her strong condemnation of terrorist attack in Pahalgam and solidarity in combatting terrorism," he said in an X post.

The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack claimed 26 lives, following which tensions between India and Pakistan escalated. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.

During the meeting, Jaishankar and von der Leyen also discussed efforts that are underway to deepen the India-EU partnership.

"Agreed on the potential benefits of stronger cooperation in trade, technology, connectivity and security for both our regions," Jaishankar added.

Von der Leyen also took to X after the meeting and said, "The EU-India strategic partnership is getting stronger." "We’re working on a Strategic Agenda based on growth with an ambitious FTA, tech & innovation and security & defence. I look forward to adopting it with @narendramodi at our next Summit," she said.

In June 2022, India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, an investment protection agreement and a pact on Geographical Indications after a gap of over eight years.

The negotiations stalled in 2013 due to differences over the level of opening up of the markets.

On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission chief agreed to seal the much-awaited free trade deal by the end of this year.

Jaishankar met members of the European Parliament on Monday along with the Indian Ambassador to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg, Saurabh Kumar.

In a post on X, he said it was “good to meet” David McAllister, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Sandro Gozi, Chair of the Delegation to EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, and Greek parliamentarian Nikos Papandreou.

The meetings followed an interaction with members of the Indian community on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions with his Belgium counterpart Maxime Prevot on deepening bilateral cooperation, including in trade, investment, technology, defence and security, clean energy and mobility.

During his week-long tour of Europe, Jaishankar will also hold talks with leaders of the European Union and France to boost bilateral ties and reaffirm India's policy of zero-tolerance against terrorism.