Ukraine crisis to figure in PM’s Europe visit, focus on boosting cooperation: Foreign secretary

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The Ukraine crisis is expected to figure during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation European tour beginning on Monday though the principal focus will be on cooperation in key areas such as trade and green development, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Sunday.

Modi’s visit will begin in Berlin, where he and Chancellor Olaf Scholz will co-chair the India-Germany inter-governmental consultations (IGC). He will travel to Copenhagen on May 3 for the second India-Nordic Summit and bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

The three-day visit will end with a stopover in Paris on May 4 for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. This is Modi’s first foreign visit of the year and also the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

“When the prime minister interfaces with [the leaders of these countries], naturally, the issues of regional and global importance would figure in the discussions…the principal focus of the visit and discussions is to structure and strengthen bilateral partnership across a range of areas and exchange perspectives on the Ukraine issue also,” Kwatra told a media briefing shortly after taking over as the foreign secretary.

India has already made its position on the Ukraine crisis very clear at multiple forums, Kwatra said. “We have always maintained that there should be cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. The path to the resolution goes through diplomacy and dialogue,” he added.

European and international partners were aware of India’s position and have also shown a “deep appreciation” of it, Kwatra said. Just as Modi had discussed the Ukraine issue with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during their recent visits to New Delhi, he is also expected to discuss it with Scholz, he said.

However, the principal focus of the prime minister’s three-nation tour with an intense schedule will be on strengthening the multi-dimensional and multi-faceted partnerships with key European countries and shaping a forward-looking agenda for future economic cooperation, development partnership and green growth, Kwatra emphasised.

India has, in recent weeks, faced growing pressure from Western partners to be more critical of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. While New Delhi has refrained from publicly criticising Moscow’s actions, it has emphasised the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. India has also condemned the civilian killings in Bucha and called for an independent investigation into the matter.

Kwatra said energy security and its impact on developing countries such as India and the mitigation of challenges in this area will be another important element of discussions during the prime minister’s visit. The interaction between leaders and businesspeople in Berlin and Copenhagen will focus on new opportunities to work together in the post-Covid world and build deeper partnerships, he said.

Discussions on defence and security will be another important element of the visits to Germany and France and talks will focus on the joint development, design and production of equipment in keeping with India’s aim of achieving self-reliance in this field, Kwatra said.

This will be Modi’s first meeting with Scholz since he assumed office last December, and the inter-governmental consultations are expected to strengthen the existing bilateral partnership and shape an ambitious agenda for cooperation for future, with the focus on development partnership, green agenda and trade and investment.

Discussions between ministers and officials will culminate in a plenary session chaired by Modi and Scholz that will look at three strands comprising foreign affairs and security, economic and financial policy, scientific and social exchanges, and climate and sustainable development. Modi’s delegation will include external affairs minister S Jaishankar, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh.

The India-Nordic Summit will focus on the green partnership, digital and innovation, trade and investment, sustainable development, and cooperation in the Arctic region. The Nordic countries have such summits with only India and US.

The meeting between Modi and Macron in Paris on May 4 will take forward cooperation in crucial areas such as clean energy, space, digital and manufacturing in high end sectors following the French leader’s recent re-election.

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