Jaishankar says India-EU ties advanced after summit at Brussels talks

Brussels,UPDATED: Jul 15, 2026 10:16 IST

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met top European leaders in Brussels on Tuesday and said India and the European Union had made significant progress in their partnership since the summit held earlier this year. During the visit, he discussed trade, technology, security, maritime commerce and supply chain resilience with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas.

Jaishankar is in Belgium on a two-day visit from July 14 to 15 to take part in the 3rd India-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting and to interact with his EU and Belgian counterparts. He is accompanied by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of State Jitin Prasada.

After meeting Costa, Jaishankar said on X, "Joined my colleagues to recognise the significant progress in our partnership since the landmark India-EU summit earlier this year. Value his guidance and warm sentiments for advancing our trade and technology cooperation." The India-EU Summit was held in New Delhi in January, when Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Indian capital as chief guests for the Republic Day. Co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European leaders, the summit yielded a landmark Free Trade Agreement and a new Security and Defence Partnership.

Jaishankar began his Brussels visit with a meeting with Kallas, where they discussed the West Asia conflict, peace and stability, and the importance of safe and unimpeded maritime commerce. He said they also spoke about taking the India-EU Strategic Partnership forward to ensure supply chain resilience. In a social media post, Jaishankar said, "Started my visit to Brussels, meeting with EU HRVP @kajakallas. Had useful discussions on West Asia and the need to ensure peace and stability. Exchanged views on the importance of safe and unimpeded maritime commerce." Kallas described it as a "historic year for EU-India relations" and said, "This is a historic year for EU-India relations, with our cooperation deepening across trade, technology, security and defence. It was good to speak today with @DrSJaishankar about taking our partnership further, including on maritime security." She added, "Together, we must defend freedom of navigation, protect open and resilient supply chains, as well as deepen cooperation between EU operations ATALANTA and ASPIDES and the Indian navy to uphold security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond."

The external affairs minister also met Minister-President of Flanders Matthias Diependaele and Minister Annick De Ridder. Referring to the talks, Jaishankar said, "The India-EU FTA has enabled a wide range of possibilities for India's cooperation with Belgium. Discussed opportunities for businesses and investments from the Flanders region." The meetings in Brussels centred on expanding India-EU engagement across trade, technology and security, while also looking at business opportunities with Belgium.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends