Both sides agreed on the need to explore new areas of cooperation, including space security…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union and India held their second consultations on security and defence in New Delhi and exchanged views and respective assessments on international and regional issues in Europe, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as developments in South Asia and the Middle East.
In consultations held on May 6, they also discussed security and defence policy developments. The EU informed on the implementation of the EU’s Strategic Compass and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), as well as new EU operations, such as the EUNAVFOR Aspides.
They also discussed and agreed to deepen engagement in existing areas of bilateral cooperation, such as cyber, maritime security and crisis management, including by making full use of the possibilities offered by the EU project Enhancing Cooperation in and with Asia (ESIWA).
They also agreed on the need to explore new areas of cooperation, including space security.
The consultations were co-chaired by Joanneke Balfoort, Director for Security and Defence Policy of the European External Action Service, and by Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) of India’s Ministry of Defence.
‘Road to Schuman’ seminar
The delegation of the European Union organised a ‘Road to Schuman’ seminar in the national capital, where security experts discussed the security landscape in the region and threats dynamics and identified avenues for cooperation, ahead of the Schuman Forum in Brussels later this month.
In an official post on X, EU Ambassador to India, Herve Delphin, said, “Growing security inter-connectedness between European Union and Indo-Pacific region means more cooperation with Asian partners, including India.”
“Ahead of the next Schuman Forum which will be held in Brussels end of May, this seminar held in Delhi brought together European and Indian security experts to exchange on the security landscape in the region and on the perspectives for EU and India to increase cooperation in defence matters and in non-traditional security domains,” Delphin said in the seminar on Monday.
The EU and India have made significant steps in the past years to deepen their security and defence cooperation including counter-terrorism, cyber and maritime security. The Indo-Pacific at large and the Indian Ocean in particular are key areas where this cooperation can be further enhanced, Delegation of the European Union said in a press release.
“On May 6, the Delegation of the European Union to India organised a Road to Schuman event titled ‘The security environment in the Indo-Pacific region and the EU’s role as a security actor in partnership/cooperation with India’, gathering prominent security and defence experts and practitioners, think tanks, academia, diplomats, Indian government officials and EU member state representatives,” the release added.
This initiative is part of the Road to Schuman events that will feed into the second edition of the Schuman Security and Defence Forum, which will take place in Brussels on 28-29 May.
The seminar provided a platform for dialogue, exchange of views on specific regional security challenges, maritime security environment, and policy developments covering the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative, EU-India maritime cooperation, and regional initiatives to address international maritime security issues.
According to the release, the seminar also enabled an assessment of the current and emerging challenges in the Indo-Pacific region while identifying future avenues for cooperation between the European (EU) and India.
The first-panel session focused on the “Overall security environment in the Indo-Pacific region: dynamics and likely evolution”. The panellists Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director General, National Maritime Foundation, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation; and Brigadier Rahul Bhonsle, Director, Security Risks Asia discussed the origins and evolution of the Indo-Pacific concept, as well as its current geopolitical dimension and the different actors operating in it.
In the second panel session, speakers discussed the “EU-India security partnerships and cooperation, opportunities/constraints and how India considers EU as a security actor”.
The three panellists Indrani Bagchi, CEO, Ananta Aspen Centre, Professors Srikanth Kondapalli, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Swasti Rao, Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses exchanged on the existing and potential areas of convergence between the EU and India in the security and defence field, in a bilateral and multilateral context.
During her address, Joanneke Balfoort, Director of security and Defence policy, at European External Action Service, said, “In this interconnected world, mutually beneficial peace, security and defence partnerships are more needed than ever. We see India, a country with considerable strategic weight on the global security balance, as a key partner for the EU in the Indo-Pacific.”
On the occasion, Herve Delphin, EU Ambassador to India said, “The global environment has turned more volatile and unstable with war and security threats on the rise. The EU is adapting to this new reality by enhancing its own security and defence but also by working together with international partners to address common security challenges to promote peace and stability. The growing inter-connectedness between dynamics in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region means that cooperation with Asian partners and most notably with India has become more important than ever”.
He added, “Ahead of the next Schuman Forum which will be held in Brussels end of May, this seminar held in Delhi brought together European and Indian security experts to exchange on the security landscape in the region and on the perspectives for EU and India to increase cooperation in defence matters and in non-traditional security domains.”
He further said, “EUNAVFOR Operation ASPIDES, recently launched in the Red Sea, together with EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, is a concrete example of the EU commitment to regional maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. While we have already stepped up our cooperation with India in the areas of Maritime Security, Counter-terrorism, Cyber-security, Non-proliferation and Disarmament, other areas like Space, Hybrid and Cyber threats and security dimensions of Artificial Intelligence are possible areas of growth for EU-India cooperation.” (ANI)