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| Wednesday, 10 November 2004 |
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India, EU agree on framework of strategic partnership THE HAGUE, Tuesday (AFP) The European Union and India agreed on the framework of a strategic partnership and will thrash out the details in the coming year, officials said after the fifth EU-India summit in The Hague. "We agree ... to jointly elaborate a comprehensive EU-India action plan for a strategic partnership ... for approval at the sixth summit meeting" to be held at the end of next year in New Delhi, representatives from the EU and India said in a joint statement after the meeting. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh met with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana here Monday to discuss the strategic plan, counter-terrorism efforts and cultural relations. "We have identified proposals to take forward India and EU relations," Singh told a press conference after the meeting. "We want to add strategic depth to our relationship," he added. The EU had already announced it wanted to bring its relationship with India to "the same parity, density and quality" as it has with the United States, Canada, China, Russia and Japan. "India and the EU are natural partners. Our relationship is based on shared values," Singh said. Both parties also agreed on more intensive cooperation to combat terrorism, making it a key area in their partnership plan. Specific details on how the cooperation could work were not given. In light of the partnership India and the EU also discussed trade issues. "We both have agreed that the volume of trade between the EU and India and the flow of investments ... is far below their potential and that there are problems and therefore we both have to find a way to solve them," Singh said. The EU also hopes that by taking its partnership with India to a higher level, it can indirectly encourage progress on India's Kashmir dispute with Pakistan and other regional headaches such as Nepal's Maoist rebellion. |
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