New Delhi: A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday after witnessing the 77th Republic Day celebrations at the majestic Kartavya Path, a day ahead of the India-EU summit.
Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa attended the Republic Day parade as chief guests, joining a select group of global leaders who have graced the nation’s biggest ceremonial event in the last seven decades.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, several other Union ministers, the country’s top military brass, foreign diplomats and senior officials were among the spectators.
Both India and the European Union move closer to what von der Leyen has described as a “historic trade agreement,” one that would create a combined market of 2 billion people.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, von der Leyen said the proposed market would account for nearly a quarter of global GDP. “I will travel to India. There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals,” she said.
Von der Leyen’s emphasis on the scale of the agreement comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has been using tariffs against India and European countries to push them into positions he prefers.
“It is time to seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe,” von der Leyen said, referring to ongoing “geopolitical shocks” and the response of the 27-nation European bloc.
Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are in India from January 25 to 27 as chief guests for Republic Day celebrations and a summit. They are scheduled to hold summit-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At the India-EU summit on January 27, the two sides are expected to announce the conclusion of negotiations on the long-pending Free Trade Agreement. “And, crucially, that would provide a first-mover advantage for Europe with one of the world’s fastest growing and most dynamic continents,” von der Leyen said, adding that Europe wants to deepen business ties with today’s growth centres and the economic powerhouses of the future.
“From Latin America to the Indo Pacific and far beyond, Europe will always choose the world. And the world is ready to choose Europe,” she said in her televised address.
