EU-India summit starts in The Hague

EU-India summit starts in The Hague

THE NETHERLANDS: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived on
Monday in The Hague for a summit with the Dutch EU presidency and
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, intended to firm up the
strategic partnership between the European Union and India.

Counterterrorism efforts and trade were also key issues of the
fifth EU-India summit.

The EU wants to bring its relationship with India to "the same
parity, density and quality" as its relations with the United
States, Canada, China, Russia and Japan, an EU official said last
week.

Before leaving for the Netherlands on Sunday, Singh said the
EU's hopes for closer relations showed that it recognized India's
growing stature and influence.

"Our relations are based on shared values -- democracy,
pluralism, rule of law and a free press," Singh said.

"Our partnership has evolved over the years from economic and
development cooperation to a broad-based engagement on a wide
range of issues -- globalization, terrorism, proliferation,
energy and environment," he added.

A senior European Commission source told journalists last week
that the strategic partnership was a sign that India was gaining
real importance for the EU. -- AFP