India committed to working with EU as a true and reliable partner: Krishna

Bangalore, Jan 16 (ANI): Emphasising that India and the European Union (EU) are two of the world's largest peace loving democracies that share common values, External Affairs Minister S.M Krishna on Monday said India is committed to working with the EU as a true and reliable partner to contribute to world peace, stability and prosperity.

At the joint media interaction with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy here, Krishna said: "India and the European Union share common values of freedom, democracy and rule of law. It is in this spirit of cooperation and the convergence of interests that we became strategic partners in 2004."

"As strategic partners, India and the European Union hold annual summits and Ministerial meetings as well as numerous official level interactions. These provide an opportunity to discuss bilateral issues and provide a robust framework for reviewing global challenges," he added.

Asserting that EU is India's largest trading partner and a significant source of investment and technology flows into India, Krishna said: "We cooperate on a wide range of issues ranging from security, energy movement of people, culture, education and human rights."

"Today, we have concluded useful and substantive discussions covering the entire spectrum of our relations. We exchanged views in a spirit of warmth and friendship. Our relationship and engagements in different areas have expanded over the years and will expand further as EU evolves," he added.

Stating that both India and the EU have important roles to play in the international arena, Krishna said keeping this in mind, we also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of common interest.

"Our annual Summits are testimonies of the importance both sides attach to our relations. The successful visit of our Prime Minister to Brussels for the India-EU Summit in December 2010 has strengthened our strategic partnership which is a reflection of our shared commitment to democratic principles, respect for human freedom and the rule of law," he said.

"During the past one year, we have intensified our dialogue on various aspects of our relations. We look forward to the visit of the leadership of the European Union to India for the next India-EU Summit, which is scheduled to be held shortly in New Delhi," he added. (ANI)