Defence ties to bolster strategic cooperation

A Security and Defence Partnership finalised by India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday will consolidate ongoing security cooperation and intensify collaboration in new areas such as space security, counter-terrorism and the joint development of military hardware to cater to Europe's rearmament drive to address geopolitical threats.

- Rezaul H Laskar and Rahul Singh

The Security and Defence Partnership, signed by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and EU foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas, was described by officials from both sides as an overarching framework to deepen ties in maritime security, defence industry and technology, cyber and hybrid threats, space, counter-terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure such as undersea cables, nonproliferation and disarmament, and international peace and security. The EU currently has such agreements with nine countries, including Japan and South Korea in Asia.

“Defence and security are a foundation for any strong partnership. Today, we are making this official through a Security and Defence Partnership. This will help us work more closely on counter-terrorism, maritime security and cybersecurity,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ata joint media interaction with the EU leaders after their summit.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the partnership as a “trust-based platform’ for cooperation on strategic issues that will build the resilience of both sides and expand maritime security cooperation to joint naval exercises against piracy and countering sophisticated hybrid threats.