EU chief says ‘successful India makes world more stable’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday said a “successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure,” as she attended the 77th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi amid momentum on a landmark India–EU trade deal.
Von der Leyen, along with President of the European Council Antonio Costa, graced the parade as chief guests at Kartavya Path. President Droupadi Murmu took the salute shortly after arriving in a traditional buggy with Costa and von der Leyen, flanked by the President’s bodyguards.
Sharing her thoughts on X, von der Leyen wrote: “It is the honor of a lifetime to be Chief Guests at the Republic Day celebrations. A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure. And we all benefit”.
Her remarks came ahead of her India-EU summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi and Brussels are set to announce the conclusion of negotiations on the much-awaited free trade agreement at the India-EU summit on January 27.
Even EU Vice-President Kaja Kallas, who joined Leyen during Republic Day event, strong momentum for closer cooperation with India and that they were seizing it.
“Here is strong momentum for closer cooperation with India, and we are seizing it. It is a pleasure to be in New Delhi today and an honour to attend the Republic Day celebration. As a symbol of our deepening bond, personnel from our EU naval operations, Atalanta and Aspides, are taking part in the parade for the first time. Tomorrow, at the Summit, we will take our relationship forward by signing the EU–India Security and Defence Partnership. This will deliver concrete results in areas such as maritime security, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism,” she said in a post on X.
In response, PM Modi, thanking top European leaders, tweeted, “India is privileged to host European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during our Republic Day celebrations. Their presence underscores the growing strength of the India-European Union partnership and our commitment to shared values. The visit will add momentum to the deepening engagement and cooperation between India and Europe across diverse sectors.”