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