India aims to ‘dramatically’ deepen ties with EU amid Iran war, global turmoil

India wants to “dramatically” deepen its partnership with the European Union, including by striking defense deals, as the Iran war and global crises push New Delhi closer to Brussels, the country’s foreign minister told POLITICO.

In January, the EU inked what’s been described as the “mother of all” trade deals with India during a bilateral summit where Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, the top two officials in the EU, were welcomed as official state guests during Republic Day celebrations.

As that deal snakes its way toward approval in the European Parliament, India sees potential for further upgrading EU-India ties, notably by inking a security of information deal that could pave the way for much closer cooperation on defense armament agreements, per Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“In my career, I have seen some of our relationships really change, dramatically change. And I am convinced that we are poised at that moment where Europe is concerned,” he said during a visit to Brussels where he attended a gathering of EU foreign ministers.

“We are aware of the strategic nature of what we’re doing … This is not just one more trade deal. It’s something much much bigger,” he added.

Jaishankar went on to cite potential deals for the EU to procure weapons from India’s armaments industry, including via the purchase of ammunition and drone and counter-drone technology, citing a deal with Airbus to construct in India as an example of deals to come.

Such deals should occur within “an enabling environment where Indian companies and European companies have the ability to work with each other without any regulatory or political restriction,” he said, adding that he was “bullish” about prospects for EU-India relations.

On trade, Jaishankar said he did not expect the Parliament to get in the way of the EU-India deal. “I think on India, frankly, there is a unity of purpose, and even in the European Parliament the overwhelming sentiment is very much, very much in favor.”

Before the EU-India deal was signed, New Delhi had hoped to be exempted from the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, an exemption that was not granted. Jaishankar said that the two sides would “continue our discussions to see how any issues pertaining to that can be addressed.”

Global mediator

But there’s a dark cloud on the EU-India horizon: Russia.

New Delhi has maintained its relations with Moscow, including purchasing its energy exports despite U.S. and EU sanctions on Russian oil. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December of last year, amid other ongoing contacts.

The Indian minister — who cited the term “values-based realism” to describe India’s foreign policy outlook — said he expected to hear criticism from some EU counterparts about India-Russia ties during his stay in Brussels, but that this would be outweighed by desire for “mutual de-risking” in a time of turmoil.

“I would certainly assume that I will hear views … which will be based on the European Union’s experience of dealing with Russia,” he said. “I think our position has been frankly very balanced and very objective. If you look at how many world leaders from 2022 have been to both Moscow and Kyiv, there are not that many. And my prime minister [Modi] happens to be one of them.”

Jaishankar’s visit coincided with growing concerns about the impact of a U.S.-Israeli war against Iran — which the Indian foreign minister described as “deeply concerning.”

“We have really enormous stakes there,” he said, referring to Iran. India had “very early on expressed deep concern because … when you see instability, when you [see] conflict in a contiguous area, that has consequences for a lot of people, and if on top of it your trade and energy are impacted, it matters a lot.”

India aims to ‘dramatically’ deepen ties with EU amid Iran war, global turmoil – POLITICO

TAP – Selling weapons to the EU means supplying Ukraine with weaponry which will kill Russians.  Yet India wants to receive Russia’s oil exports.  The West supported by the EU/NATO is attacking Iran.  The resulting ‘instability’ cuts off energy and trade from India as well as China. For India to survive it will be better to stand against NATO/EU/US/Israel and help Iran and Russia and China bring an end to the war.  IT’s not a time for muddled thinking.  India must decide.   Zionist victory or zionist defeat?  See if you can work it out, India.