New Delhi [India], October 5 (ANI): Congress MP for Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor received a courtesy call with Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sibi George.

The two spoke about strengthening ties with Europe.

In a post on X, Tharoor said, 'Received a courtesy call from the newly-appointed Secretary (West) in the MEA, Sibi George, fresh from a successful stint in Japan. Spoke about the need to strengthen our relationship with Europe amid all the global uncertainties.'

https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1974481184001507638

As per the MEA, the relationship between India and the European Union (EU) is based on shared values and principles such as democracy, rule of law, rules-based international order and multilateralism. The ties are multifaceted and cover a broad spectrum of topics, including trade, investment, climate change, science and technology, digital, connectivity and agriculture.

India-EU bilateral relations date back to the early 1960s, with India being amongst the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the European Economic Community in 1962. The Joint Political Statement signed in 1993, coupled with the Cooperation Agreement signed in 1994, opened the way for strengthening the bilateral ties.

Following the European Parliamentary elections in June 2024, Prime Minister Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen briefly met on the sidelines of the G20 Rio Summit in November 2024. PM spoke telephonically with European Council President Antonio Costa in January 2025. There are regular high-level interactions between the leaders. Prime Minister Modi met the then President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit (Rio de Janeiro, Nov 2024; New Delhi, Sep 2023; Rome, Oct 2021), and on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting (Hiroshima, May 2023; Germany, Jun 2022) and COP28 (Dubai, Dec 2023).

There are regular and frequent interactions at Ministerial / Commissioner-level between India and the EU. (ANI)