India Coffee House

[crixus]

I think we’ll be going for American helicopters to match mi17 orders.

The best will be C-295s path , airbus is the best option

 

[Paro]

The best will be C-295s path , airbus is the best option

I guess is we'll be going for something that's already in the American inventory and with plenty of reserves. I'm thinking Sikorsky but it's only speculation at the moment. Whichever it is it's going to be a stopgap until HAL comes up with a reasonable replacement.

 

[Nilgiri]

Found this quite an interesting read (on the longer context of RUS and UKR...and why RUS finds ukrainian independence/separation from it intolerable at deep level), tell me what you guys think:

Thread by @kamilkazani on Thread Reader App

@kamilkazani: War of memes: why Z-war won't end with peace Some Western analysts unfamiliar with Eastern European cultural context perceive Z-war as an accident. They presume that Russian invasion results from some ...…

threadreaderapp.com

the core bit in middle was particularly interesting:

Existence of an Eastern European sacred community built on the Old Church Slavonic (like the Western European щту was built on Latin) sheds the light on the meaning of the word "Russian" ("русский") in medieval Russia. It doesn't refer to the ethnicity. It refers to the religion.
Equating premodern sacred communities to modern national communities is a major fallacy. That's wrong, even if they bear the same or a similar name. In modern Russia the word Russian refers to a nation. In medieval Russia - to the sacred community operating across ethnic lines


It then brings up the particular "Pushkin" process that selectively used vernacular standardisation (hence the russification that would happen in USSR times) but also that older (liturgical) concept of the nation to the nation state. A logical fallacy prima facie, but nationstates have rarely followed logic pristinely in general. Russia is arguably a particular large form (maybe the largest in the modern era) of irrational extreme perpetual irredentism.

Would be interested to see if members have any comments on this.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Found this quite an interesting read (on the longer context of RUS and UKR...and why RUS finds ukrainian independence/separation from it intolerable at deep level), tell me what you guys think:

Thread by @kamilkazani on Thread Reader App

@kamilkazani: War of memes: why Z-war won't end with peace Some Western analysts unfamiliar with Eastern European cultural context perceive Z-war as an accident. They presume that Russian invasion results from some ...…

threadreaderapp.com

the core bit in middle was particularly interesting:

Existence of an Eastern European sacred community built on the Old Church Slavonic (like the Western European щту was built on Latin) sheds the light on the meaning of the word "Russian" ("русский") in medieval Russia. It doesn't refer to the ethnicity. It refers to the religion.
Equating premodern sacred communities to modern national communities is a major fallacy. That's wrong, even if they bear the same or a similar name. In modern Russia the word Russian refers to a nation. In medieval Russia - to the sacred community operating across ethnic lines


It then brings up the particular "Pushkin" process that selectively used vernacular standardisation (hence the russification that would happen in USSR times) but also that older (liturgical) concept of the nation to the nation state. A logical fallacy prima facie, but nationstates have rarely followed logic pristinely in general. Russia is arguably a particular large form (maybe the largest in the modern era) of irrational extreme perpetual irredentism.

Would be interested to see if members have any comments on this.

WHAT?

This is fascinating!

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Oh I remember that when it hit the news. Was extremely disturbing to say the least. Some years later there was a similar story out in the boonies in Australia somewhere iirc.

I leave these things to the legal experts and judges....they are very abhorrent to sift through and contemplate what is proper justice etc.

Sure, giving out a punishment should be left to the legal experts. But a case as extraordinarily horrific and as well publicised as that one will simply form and forge an opinion on what justice is and what an adequate punishment should be in the average Joe. Not that they would have much of an influence on the final verdict, but it still defines how a legal codex will be interpreted by those living under it.

Found this quite an interesting read (on the longer context of RUS and UKR...and why RUS finds ukrainian independence/separation from it intolerable at deep level), tell me what you guys think:

Thread by @kamilkazani on Thread Reader App

@kamilkazani: War of memes: why Z-war won't end with peace Some Western analysts unfamiliar with Eastern European cultural context perceive Z-war as an accident. They presume that Russian invasion results from some ...…

threadreaderapp.com

the core bit in middle was particularly interesting:

Existence of an Eastern European sacred community built on the Old Church Slavonic (like the Western European щту was built on Latin) sheds the light on the meaning of the word "Russian" ("русский") in medieval Russia. It doesn't refer to the ethnicity. It refers to the religion.
Equating premodern sacred communities to modern national communities is a major fallacy. That's wrong, even if they bear the same or a similar name. In modern Russia the word Russian refers to a nation. In medieval Russia - to the sacred community operating across ethnic lines


It then brings up the particular "Pushkin" process that selectively used vernacular standardisation (hence the russification that would happen in USSR times) but also that older (liturgical) concept of the nation to the nation state. A logical fallacy prima facie, but nationstates have rarely followed logic pristinely in general. Russia is arguably a particular large form (maybe the largest in the modern era) of irrational extreme perpetual irredentism.

Would be interested to see if members have any comments on this.

Well, seems not too illogical to me. But oftentimes it felt like he presented a very very onesided point of view and gave arguments only supporting his stance, cherrypicking that poem or very distant examples of language being the uniting factor in culture. But then again do I know too little to have any valid opinion on this, so disregard my stance for all I care.

 

[Nilgiri]

Well, seems not too illogical to me. But oftentimes it felt like he presented a very very onesided point of view and gave arguments only supporting his stance, cherrypicking that poem or very distant examples of language being the uniting factor in culture. But then again do I know too little to have any valid opinion on this, so disregard my stance for all I care.

Yes, a further read into Pushkin for example (and his own struggle with the Tsar and Russian empire of the time) shows the issue is more complicated than he presents.

Still this is quite close to how an Ukrainian buddy of mine explained the whole thing to me (many years ago around the time of the crimea invasion).....in that Russia has a historic monolithic lens it views Ukraine through extremely reductively....and Ukraine thus gets "suffocated" by an unwelcome bear hug....as Ukraine's national concept intersects with that of Russia only so much (having formed independently with its own unique cultural norms different to Russia's where the individual has long been much reduced in status to the state).

 

[HTurk]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1517045937884909568

Is this real?

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1517045937884909568

Is this real?

looks legit to me, they covered up the views of slums like that when donald trump visited as well iirc.

 

[Nilgiri]

Wonder what further knowledge will be unlocked here....

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1518289263460495360

 

[Joe Shearer]

Wonder what further knowledge will be unlocked here....

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1518289263460495360

Do you expect contrary data to what was found?
Are we on the same page if I say that human remains from stratae from the IVC time horizon proved to have no steppe genetic material? and that suggests that the people of the IVC had nothing to do with the steppe people?
The implications are that the Out Of India theory stands contradicted.

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Yes, a further read into Pushkin for example (and his own struggle with the Tsar and Russian empire of the time) shows the issue is more complicated than he presents.

Still this is quite close to how an Ukrainian buddy of mine explained the whole thing to me (many years ago around the time of the crimea invasion).....in that Russia has a historic monolithic lens it views Ukraine through extremely reductively....and Ukraine thus gets "suffocated" by an unwelcome bear hug....as Ukraine's national concept intersects with that of Russia only so much (having formed independently with its own unique cultural norms different to Russia's where the individual has long been much reduced in status to the state).

What the impact on ukrainian society and the integration of russian culture into the national identity so far, be it conscious or unconscious, will be is going to be interesting to observe. But it probably will lead to a national David vs Goliath perception, with how Russia performs so far...

 

[Nilgiri]

Do you expect contrary data to what was found?
Are we on the same page if I say that human remains from stratae from the IVC time horizon proved to have no steppe genetic material? and that suggests that the people of the IVC had nothing to do with the steppe people?
The implications are that the Out Of India theory stands contradicted.

Yes we are on the same page about this. OOI is a q-anon type conspiracy process. It is not science or logic based.

I expect Rakhigarhi to provide more insight into possibly how the IVC people came about themselves....and maybe what their own diversity was (given the geographic area covered in their prime). DNA is just one part of it, there will be lot more to analyse.

It is early days still (methodical excavation and analysis here), that's the exciting part.

I hope there are some finds like this within Pakistan too with time. Lot of our subcontinent remains archaeologically unexplored.

 

[Nilgiri]

What the impact on ukrainian society and the integration of russian culture into the national identity so far, be it conscious or unconscious, will be is going to be interesting to observe. But it probably will lead to a national David vs Goliath perception, with how Russia performs so far...

There is indeed a quiet confidence and resolve that has now grown among the Ukrainians.

A big development is that the Russian speaking Ukrainians have nearly fully consolidated into the national image (as they feel betrayed that Russia has opted for forceful violence of this level to achieve its goals, even on the russian speakers in ukraine).

Using force to (try) resolve these matters of the heart and mind is counter-productive in the end. You just prove yourself as the insecure brute.

Humankind must somehow learn this in sufficient capacity (we still have not)... if we are to evolve to harnessing more of our true potential.

"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack,”

 

[Nilgiri]

 

[Nilgiri]

Sorry for the inconvenience.

India and the Arctic​

June 10, 2013

India’s engagement with the Arctic dates back to nearly nine decades when it signed the ‘Treaty between Norway, US, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland and the British overseas Dominions and Sweden concerning Spitsbergen’ also called the ‘Svalbard Treaty’ in February 1920 in Paris.

India has been closely following the developments in the Arctic region in the light of the new opportunities and challenges emerging for the international community due to global warming induced melting of Arctic’s ice cap. Today India’s interests in the Arctic region are scientific, environmental, commercial as well as strategic.

India initiated its Arctic Research Program in 2007 with thrust on climate change in the circumpolar north. The major objectives of the Indian Research in Arctic Region are as follows:

• To study the hypothesized tele-connections between the Arctic climate and the Indian monsoon by analyzing the sediment and ice core records from the Arctic glaciers and the Arctic Ocean.
• To characterize sea ice in Arctic using satellite data to estimate the effect of global warming in the northern polar region.
• To conduct research on the dynamics and mass budget of Arctic glaciers focusing on the effect of glaciers on sea-level change.
• To carry out a comprehensive assessment of the flora and fauna of the Artic vis-àvis their response to anthropogenic activities. In addition, it is proposed to undertake a comparative study of the life forms from both the Polar Regions.

India launched its first scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean in 2007 and opened a research base named "Himadri” at the International Arctic Research Base at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway in July 2008 for carrying out studies in disciplines like Glaciology, Atmospheric sciences & Biological sciences. India has also entered into MOU with Norwegian Polar Research Institute of Norway, for cooperation in science, as also with Kings Bay (A Norwegian Government owned company) at Ny-Alesund for logistic and infrastructure facilities for undertaking Arctic research and maintaining Indian Research base ‘Himadri’ at Arctic region.

(More at link)

=============================

 

[Ryder]

The new Turkish ambassador is a cultured man (A novelist apparently) and has quite charming twitter feed already which will be interesting to follow for his tenure in India:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1443616059794370560

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1440360804344164361

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1440624065056628737

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1444988333143183366

I need to start drinking Turkish coffee more

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

There is indeed a quiet confidence and resolve that has now grown among the Ukrainians.

A big development is that the Russian speaking Ukrainians have nearly fully consolidated into the national image (as they feel betrayed that Russia has opted for forceful violence of this level to achieve its goals, even on the russian speakers in ukraine).

Using force to (try) resolve these matters of the heart and mind is counter-productive in the end. You just prove yourself as the insecure brute.

Humankind must somehow learn this in sufficient capacity (we still have not)... if we are to evolve to harnessing more of our true potential.

"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack,”

We talked about it before, how a fundamental restructuring of the human both biologically and psychologically would be required to overcome the tribalism and predisposition to violence, something that really isn't possible with your average human once they're out of the womb(at least I think so).
Don't know if you've ever read Ian Morris's "War: What is it good for?" and how he lays out the larger evolutionary picture as to why humans will be seeing violence to resolve dispute as an acceptable, and from a tribal viewpoint, necessary method to get things done. Taking the last century into perspective, we've witnessed the largest wars ever and greatest massacres since the mongolian invasions, yet only 1-2% of humans have died a violent death during this century, out of a total population of some estimated 10 Billion people that lived during it. Compared to prehistoric tribal societies, in which up to 25% would oftentimes have been killed through violence and warfare. In this sense, the immense development that political thought and practice, as well as diplomacy and its value in interstate relations, has undergone has managed to subdue the human condition and it's violence quite well. I'm curious to see if this century will continue the trend, or if climate change, wealth distribution, water scarcity, environmental degradation and the myriad of other unimaginably large problems will reverse it into a far more brutal century...

Little anecdote here, I've been able to talk with a couple of east german folks about their opinion regarding the war, and interestingly enough they've been as opposed to Zelensky as they are to Putin. They consider Zelensky a pawn of the US, which makes him as despicable as Putin in their eyes. And these folks were fairly well educated people who've lived through years and decades of SED rule in the GDR, just thought to bring this in here.

I'm also sorry for not responding sooner, courtesy of me having to do and manage a lot of things here. Don't know how long this will be the case, but probably for the forseeable future.

 

[Nilgiri]

We talked about it before, how a fundamental restructuring of the human both biologically and psychologically would be required to overcome the tribalism and predisposition to violence, something that really isn't possible with your average human once they're out of the womb(at least I think so).
Don't know if you've ever read Ian Morris's "War: What is it good for?" and how he lays out the larger evolutionary picture as to why humans will be seeing violence to resolve dispute as an acceptable, and from a tribal viewpoint, necessary method to get things done. Taking the last century into perspective, we've witnessed the largest wars ever and greatest massacres since the mongolian invasions, yet only 1-2% of humans have died a violent death during this century, out of a total population of some estimated 10 Billion people that lived during it. Compared to prehistoric tribal societies, in which up to 25% would oftentimes have been killed through violence and warfare. In this sense, the immense development that political thought and practice, as well as diplomacy and its value in interstate relations, has undergone has managed to subdue the human condition and it's violence quite well. I'm curious to see if this century will continue the trend, or if climate change, wealth distribution, water scarcity, environmental degradation and the myriad of other unimaginably large problems will reverse it into a far more brutal century...

It is progress definitely, as we overall unlock more truth and gain more experience as a (so called intelligent) species. There will be fits and starts....and maybe some reversals inevitably I feel....but I am quite optimistic overall.

Ian Morris book was a very good read.

The challenges are immense and daunting as always this century, but if anything we are an extremely adaptable species....even to the problems we self-inflict and often realise only later.

Our dawn and our spring is over....we have woken up in sufficient capacity (to truth, enlightenment and what the nature of infinity means).

I personally think our Summer will be quite a long one....we have a long way to go.....there will be storms during summer too.

It will be interesting to know (if possible) how humanity looks back at thse 500 odd years or so..... a millennia or more from now.

Little anecdote here, I've been able to talk with a couple of east german folks about their opinion regarding the war, and interestingly enough they've been as opposed to Zelensky as they are to Putin. They consider Zelensky a pawn of the US, which makes him as despicable as Putin in their eyes. And these folks were fairly well educated people who've lived through years and decades of SED rule in the GDR, just thought to bring this in here.

It happens. People are often nostalgic or have some sense of stockholm syndrome persisting....without even realising it.

There is a heavy anti US sentiment in (some) parts/sections of Europe overall that I have perceived spread all around in some propensity....and concentrated some times too.

The cold war was not always sunshine and roses for (long term inbuilt) perception of the US....much like the USSR as well.

There was a foreboding psyche that set an overhang for lot of people long term....Armageddon being somewhat artificially prevented yet never too far away....borrowed time etc....and out of even their collective national hands. Do you trust so few people in the end, with so much destructive power....given the world wars just before.

Even here on this side of the pond, it has never really totally been grappled with. Rather the passage of time slowly erodes at it effect. Then we see the renewed and resurfacing of the root psyche for war again. It paints a very uncomfortable spectre for so many....why do we keep circling to the same thing after we know it solves nothing?

I'm also sorry for not responding sooner, courtesy of me having to do and manage a lot of things here. Don't know how long this will be the case, but probably for the forseeable future.

Busy on my end too. I still have the earlier stuff bookmarked to get to again down road. So I totally understand.

 

[Nilgiri]

India - EU getting closer like you said @Exorcist , let us see what unfolds over the coming months and years.

India, EU agreed to jointly address challenges from aggressive behavior of authoritarian regimes: EU chief | India News - Times of India

India News: India and EU agreed last week to jointly address challenges to their free and open societies from, among other things, aggressive behaviour of authori.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India and EU agreed last week to jointly address challenges to their free and open societies from, among other things, aggressive behaviour of authoritarian regimes, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an exclusive interview to TOI's Sachin Parashar.

Von der Leyen, who has accused Russia of using gas as an instrument of blackmail, was responding to queries on the outcome of her visit to India last week during which she met PM Narendra Modi and participated in the Raisina Dialogue as the chief guest.

Asked about India’s position on Ukraine, and the EU’s indifference in the past to the threat to the rules-based order in Asia as stated by foreign minister S Jaishankar, von der Leyen said the response to Russia’s war will shape the response to such violations of international law in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. She said both regions had a very strong interest in confining the outdated concept of spheres of influence to the past and that the shockwaves of the war in Ukraine had already reached the Indo-Pacific.

Calling upon China to play its part in efforts to ensure a peaceful and thriving region, von der Leyen said she told PM Modi that India and EU should identify projects, ahead of the next EU-India summit in the Indo-Pacific, they can jointly work on.

Excerpts:

Q: How satisfied are you with the outcome of your visit to India? In that context, please talk to us how the decision to set up a Trade and Technology Council will help EU-India relations.

A: I’m so very pleased with my visit to India, where I received the warmest of welcomes. My visit confirmed what I already knew: that India is set to become one of the EU’s closest partners in this decade.

I came with one main objective in mind: to launch concrete strands of work that would build up our relations in the months and years to come.

In particular, in the fields where our combined potential is the greatest: trade, technology and security.
The Trade and Technology Council will steer our work and help develop joint approaches on these three topics, in line with our common interests and shared democratic values.


Q: Another takeaway perhaps was the decision to resume negotiations for FTA. How confident are you that EU and India will have that agreement in a reasonable period of time, given the differences that have plagued the negotiations in the past?

A: Times have changed since India and the EU first discussed a trade agreement a decade ago. Today, more than ever, we see the need to diversify our supplies towards trusted partners.

There is huge potential in our economic relations, which Prime Minister Modi and I believe to be still largely untapped. The European Union is already India's third most important trade partner and second export destination. We are, together, a market of 1.8 billion people. India is set to become one of the three largest economies in the next decade - and yet accounts for less than 2% of the EU’s foreign trade.

This is why I believe, we have strong, mutual incentives to make quick progress in the negotiations. The first round of negotiations will take place in June in New Delhi.

What matters here is the fresh, strong political impetus that Prime Minister Modi and I are giving to the process. I am confident that this will both speed up the negotiations, and deliver solid, ambitious agreements that live up to the needs and expectations of our citizens.


Q: You discussed the Ukraine situation with PM Modi and also the need for cooperation with India on solar and green hydrogen at a time Europe is looking to diversify quickly away from fossil fuels because of Russian "aggression" in Ukraine. What was India's response?

A: I leave it to the Indian side to communicate their position to the public. But we both agreed that we need to address, jointly, the challenges to our free and open societies – be it the aggressive behaviour of authoritarian regimes or climate change.

The EU has identified renewable energy and hydrogen as crucial energy source son our path to climate neutrality.

India for its part has both large needs and huge potential in this field.

And European companies are ready to invest here. Through our Global Gateway strategy, we can help mobilise such investments. This is was my message last week at the International Solar Alliance.


Q: Many EU countries want India to condemn Russia's actions but India, as was evident from the Indian foreign minister's remarks at the Raisina Dialogue, is saying Europe needs to also look beyond Ukraine and that Europe itself was insensitive to India's concerns when the rules-based order was under threat in Asia. Do you agree with that and would you also like to share your understanding of India's position on Ukraine?

A: The global community’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine will define how such violation of international law will be dealt with in the future, everywhere in the world. Including in the Indo-Pacific region. So we must demonstrate our commitment to the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and the rules-based world order. Both our regions have a very strong interest in confining the outdated concept of spheres of influence to the past.

In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is severely disrupting a global economy that was only starting to recover from the pandemic. The shockwaves of the war in Ukraine are already reaching the Indo-Pacific region. Prices are rising for grain, energy and fertilisers, for example.

Russia’s aggression of Ukraine is a threat to the world order and the global economy. Our response has to be strong and unequivocal.

So I told my interlocutors that we – the international community – must continue to speak up
with a single, powerful voice for the lives and the freedom of the people of Ukraine.



Q: EU has an Indo-Pacific strategy but given the growing Chinese assertiveness in the region, will you agree EU needs to become more active and perhaps play a bigger geopolitical role in the Indo-Pacific?

A: Absolutely. The Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the EU’s prosperity. So we have a strong stake in a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In this context, the EU will continue to encourage Beijing to play its part in a peaceful and thriving region. We have indeed undertaken to increase our strategic role in the region, through our EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific region – which is highly compatible with India’s own regional initiative. In particular, the EU wants to support secure and sustainable interconnections in the Indo-Pacific, under Global Gateway.

Global Gateway is Europe’s investment strategy for quality infrastructure, health and education around the world. It reflects our European way of doing business, with the highest standards of governance transparency and openness with partners – as an alternative to those who want to create dependencies instead of links. As I said to Prime Minister Modi, I hope we can already identify joint projects in the run up to our next EU-India summit.

 

[Joe Shearer]

India - EU getting closer like you said @Exorcist , let us see what unfolds over the coming months and years.

India, EU agreed to jointly address challenges from aggressive behavior of authoritarian regimes: EU chief | India News - Times of India

India News: India and EU agreed last week to jointly address challenges to their free and open societies from, among other things, aggressive behaviour of authori.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India and EU agreed last week to jointly address challenges to their free and open societies from, among other things, aggressive behaviour of authoritarian regimes, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an exclusive interview to TOI's Sachin Parashar.

Von der Leyen, who has accused Russia of using gas as an instrument of blackmail, was responding to queries on the outcome of her visit to India last week during which she met PM Narendra Modi and participated in the Raisina Dialogue as the chief guest.

Asked about India’s position on Ukraine, and the EU’s indifference in the past to the threat to the rules-based order in Asia as stated by foreign minister S Jaishankar, von der Leyen said the response to Russia’s war will shape the response to such violations of international law in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. She said both regions had a very strong interest in confining the outdated concept of spheres of influence to the past and that the shockwaves of the war in Ukraine had already reached the Indo-Pacific.

Calling upon China to play its part in efforts to ensure a peaceful and thriving region, von der Leyen said she told PM Modi that India and EU should identify projects, ahead of the next EU-India summit in the Indo-Pacific, they can jointly work on.

Excerpts:

Q: How satisfied are you with the outcome of your visit to India? In that context, please talk to us how the decision to set up a Trade and Technology Council will help EU-India relations.

A: I’m so very pleased with my visit to India, where I received the warmest of welcomes. My visit confirmed what I already knew: that India is set to become one of the EU’s closest partners in this decade.

I came with one main objective in mind: to launch concrete strands of work that would build up our relations in the months and years to come.

In particular, in the fields where our combined potential is the greatest: trade, technology and security.
The Trade and Technology Council will steer our work and help develop joint approaches on these three topics, in line with our common interests and shared democratic values.


Q: Another takeaway perhaps was the decision to resume negotiations for FTA. How confident are you that EU and India will have that agreement in a reasonable period of time, given the differences that have plagued the negotiations in the past?

A: Times have changed since India and the EU first discussed a trade agreement a decade ago. Today, more than ever, we see the need to diversify our supplies towards trusted partners.

There is huge potential in our economic relations, which Prime Minister Modi and I believe to be still largely untapped. The European Union is already India's third most important trade partner and second export destination. We are, together, a market of 1.8 billion people. India is set to become one of the three largest economies in the next decade - and yet accounts for less than 2% of the EU’s foreign trade.

This is why I believe, we have strong, mutual incentives to make quick progress in the negotiations. The first round of negotiations will take place in June in New Delhi.

What matters here is the fresh, strong political impetus that Prime Minister Modi and I are giving to the process. I am confident that this will both speed up the negotiations, and deliver solid, ambitious agreements that live up to the needs and expectations of our citizens.


Q: You discussed the Ukraine situation with PM Modi and also the need for cooperation with India on solar and green hydrogen at a time Europe is looking to diversify quickly away from fossil fuels because of Russian "aggression" in Ukraine. What was India's response?

A: I leave it to the Indian side to communicate their position to the public. But we both agreed that we need to address, jointly, the challenges to our free and open societies – be it the aggressive behaviour of authoritarian regimes or climate change.

The EU has identified renewable energy and hydrogen as crucial energy source son our path to climate neutrality.

India for its part has both large needs and huge potential in this field.

And European companies are ready to invest here. Through our Global Gateway strategy, we can help mobilise such investments. This is was my message last week at the International Solar Alliance.


Q: Many EU countries want India to condemn Russia's actions but India, as was evident from the Indian foreign minister's remarks at the Raisina Dialogue, is saying Europe needs to also look beyond Ukraine and that Europe itself was insensitive to India's concerns when the rules-based order was under threat in Asia. Do you agree with that and would you also like to share your understanding of India's position on Ukraine?

A: The global community’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine will define how such violation of international law will be dealt with in the future, everywhere in the world. Including in the Indo-Pacific region. So we must demonstrate our commitment to the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and the rules-based world order. Both our regions have a very strong interest in confining the outdated concept of spheres of influence to the past.

In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is severely disrupting a global economy that was only starting to recover from the pandemic. The shockwaves of the war in Ukraine are already reaching the Indo-Pacific region. Prices are rising for grain, energy and fertilisers, for example.

Russia’s aggression of Ukraine is a threat to the world order and the global economy. Our response has to be strong and unequivocal.

So I told my interlocutors that we – the international community – must continue to speak up
with a single, powerful voice for the lives and the freedom of the people of Ukraine.



Q: EU has an Indo-Pacific strategy but given the growing Chinese assertiveness in the region, will you agree EU needs to become more active and perhaps play a bigger geopolitical role in the Indo-Pacific?

A: Absolutely. The Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the EU’s prosperity. So we have a strong stake in a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In this context, the EU will continue to encourage Beijing to play its part in a peaceful and thriving region. We have indeed undertaken to increase our strategic role in the region, through our EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific region – which is highly compatible with India’s own regional initiative. In particular, the EU wants to support secure and sustainable interconnections in the Indo-Pacific, under Global Gateway.

Global Gateway is Europe’s investment strategy for quality infrastructure, health and education around the world. It reflects our European way of doing business, with the highest standards of governance transparency and openness with partners – as an alternative to those who want to create dependencies instead of links. As I said to Prime Minister Modi, I hope we can already identify joint projects in the run up to our next EU-India summit.

I am a little stunned that the EU should continue to define India as an open society.