Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: India and the European Union took stock of their negotiations for a free trade agreement and an investment protection pact even as they asserted that connectivity projects must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
A joint statement released on May 10 said the two sides deliberated on these issues at their fourth strategic partnership review meeting that was held in Delhi on May 8.
India and the EU also underscored the need for “comprehensive, just, and lasting” peace in Ukraine in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law.
They “unequivocally condemned” terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border attacks, it said.
The call by India and the EU on the need for respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in implementing connectivity projects came amid growing global concerns over China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
India has been severely critical of the BRI as the mega project includes the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC that passes through Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.
