BRUSSELS: India places a high priority to its relations with the European Union, the centrepiece of which is the Free Trade Agreement negotiations that are making very good progress, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Wednesday.
During a conversation with The Financial Times Brussels Bureau Chief Henry Foy at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) Forum, the external affairs minister expressed confidence that the year-end timeline set for the completion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) seems “feasible” following his in-depth talks with EU officials this week.
He also highlighted the strength of the two-way relationship that goes beyond trade to cover aspects of defence and security, mobility, talent flows and education.
“I would give it (India-EU ties) pretty high priority… right now you catch us at a very important moment,” said Jaishankar.
“We had the (EU) College of Commissioners, very soon after they came into office, visit India collectively. We know that’s a very unusual and very positive step, and we are really looking at deepening our ties,” he said.
“So, the centrepiece is the FTA, which has been under negotiation for some time now but everything I have heard… I think we are making very good progress,” he added.
Against the backdrop of his talks earlier on Wednesday with Maroš Šefčovič, the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Jaishankar was asked about the prospect of completing the FTA by the end of this year.
“A lot has been done, and everything that I heard on this trip gives me the confidence that it’s within sight, that by the end of the year it is feasible to do this,” he said.
The conversation session at the high-profile forum covered a broad spectrum of issues governing India’s foreign policy perspectives, from its relations with the US and closer in its neighbourhood with China.
“We are conditioned to deal with situations and challenges, think it through for ourselves and essentially make decisions based on what capabilities we have and what we are able to leverage from the world. And that’s because we have never been an alliance partner. So, by the nature of our foreign policy structure, our strategic choices, we sort of have that mindset and approach,” Jaishankar said.
Contrasting this with Europe’s history and experiences, the minister noted that India is accustomed to dealing with shifting geopolitical realities and any “trans-Atlantic divergences” in outlooks that emerge.
“We are objective about it. We value our relations with the US, as we do with the EU, we will deal with each one on terms which are best for both of us,” he said.
On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar highlighted India’s stance favouring a negotiated settlement of differences.
He said: “We have felt from the start that even if two countries, two neighbours, have differences, even very deep differences, it cannot be settled by recourse to war. If war has started, you are not going to get a solution out of the battlefield. If you’re not going to get a solution out of the battlefield, then the answer is to negotiate.
“And if you are going to negotiate, it makes sense to negotiate directly, rather than through very convoluted signalling. So that’s been our position. It wasn’t necessarily widely accepted in 2022, but I think a lot of people have come around to that point of view right now… the United States today, under President Trump, also is an advocate of the fact that there has to be a negotiated solution.”
On China, Jaishankar reflected upon the “incredibly complicated matrix” with several different dimensions. Asked if the EU remains naive vis-à-vis China, he added: “I would point to a certain evolution in Europe’s position and stance, but I would also make the point that it’s a very differentiated picture.
“Not all of Europe is obviously moving at the same speed and on the same wavelength. So, there are some which have different views, some who are more hard-headed. I would make that distinction.”
Jaishankar has been holding a series of wide-ranging discussions in Brussels this week, including with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas for the first India-EU Strategic Dialogue. PTI
