European Commission president expresses solidarity with India, PM Modi amid COVID-19

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said that it was a very historical moment to make sure that the EU stands firmly at the side of India in this challenging time & assured PM Modi of our solidarity & support with all that's needed at moment, from oxygen generators to medicines & ventilators. 17 EU Members States have supported a worth over 100 million Euros of supply that has been brought to India & is being brought in the next days through the EU Civil Protection mechanism & further assistance will follow.

Last year in 2020. PM Modi discussed the Coronavirus pandemic with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon and the two leaders agreed on the importance of international cooperation to fight the global health crisis. During the telephonic conversation, PM Modi expressed his grief over the death of people and assured the Spanish PM that India would be ready to extend support to his country to the best of its ability.

On Saturday India-EU Leaders' Virtual Summit was held with the Heads of 27 European Council (EU) Member States--where EU and India discussed its strengthening of the Strategic Partnership on trade, technology, and connectivity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the summit. The leaders exchanged views on the COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare cooperation; fostering sustainable and inclusive growth; strengthening the India-EU economic partnership as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest. Taking to Twitter, Charles Michel said that the EU and India stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against COVID-19.

"EU and India stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against COVID-19. We are delivering equipment to the people of India and working to boost vaccine production. We are also committed to doing our part to tackle climate change and meet the Paris goals".

EU-India is also going to launch negotiations on three agreements on trade, investment & geographical indications

• Connectivity Partnership
• Human Rights Dialogue
• Closer security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Charles Michel also informed about the new chapter in EU-India strategic partnership

Significance of India-EU summit

The Porto EU-India Leaders’ Meeting promises to be a pivotal moment in this regard, giving new momentum to the partnership between the world’s two largest democratic spaces, made up of over 1.8 billion people. This dialogue will be crucial to rebalancing relations between the EU and the Indo-Pacific. EU-India relations have always been marked by mutual support and solidarity. This has been evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when both have supported each other and the rest of the world.

(Image Credits: AP/ANI)