Munich, February 15 Top EU official Kaja Kallas highlighted security ties with India in Munich on Sunday, saying that the bloc has forged defense partnerships with ten countries so far, including India, while emphasizing that international ties are one of its priorities.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said that Europe must work on a new security policy to address the emerging challenges.
Countries want to diversify their partnerships to manage the risks in the increasingly volatile world, including the 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 achieve this is to work together."
"The European Union has built the largest free trade network in the world. Nearly 80 countries are now covered by EU trade agreements. In addition to trade, we are also creating partnerships in security and defense, with 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 achieve this is to work together," she added.
India and the European Union sealed a landmark free trade agreement last month, billed as the "mother of all deals," 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 defense in protecting the rules-based world order.
The two sides also inked two crucial pacts – one on security and defense collaboration and another on the mobility of Indian talent to Europe.
