Carl Bildt at EU-India Summit
The annual EU-India summit was held on 6 November in New Delhi. In his capacity as President-in-Office of the European Council, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, along with Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, met India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Issues on the agenda included the climate, the global economic crisis, discussions on EU-India relations, trade and regional issues.
The EU-India Summit began in the traditional fashion with the laying of a wreath at Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. The discussions then got under way at Hyderabad House in central New Delhi. Since 2004, India and the EU have had a strategic partnership and a joint action plan is in place to deepen dialogue and cooperation on global challenges such as climate, energy and environmental issues, human rights, democracy, terrorism and disarmament. The aim is also to deepen economic cooperation and facilitate exchange between peoples and cultures.
"As two of the largest democracies in the world, with common values and interests, EU-India relations are important," Mr Bildt said. "India is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world and will play a major role in combating climate change and in the global economy. India is also a key country from a foreign policy perspective. It is situated in a troubled area of the world, and exchanging views on developments in nearby countries, primarily Afghanistan and Pakistan, is important."
In association with the summit, Mr Bildt and Minister for Trade Ewa Björling also took part in the Business Summit, which was being held for the tenth time. It brought together business leaders and representatives from the EU and India.
