The EU’s top team on Thursday arrived in India on an “unprecedented” visit, aiming to broaden commercial and diplomatic ties and hedge against souring relations with the US.EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and her college of commissioners are to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and government officials in New Delhi during the two-day trip. “In this era of multiplying conflicts and intense geostrategic competition, Europe wants to strengthen its partnership with India, one of its most trusted friends,” Von der Leyen said. “There is a great, positive momentum in our relations. Together, we can drive forward trade, economic security, and resilient supply chains.”Von der Leyen is expected to meet with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, before meeting Modi today, with a raft of topics from artificial intelligence to energy to be discussed.“We aim to advance discussions on a free trade agreement, expand co-operation on digital technologies, particularly AI, and accelerate our work on clean technologies like electric vehicles and green hydrogen”, she added.
