Modi concludes visit to Europe: exchange views on the situation in Russia and Ukraine, thus highlighting India's "importance"

The Paper's reporter Xu Zhenhua

On May 4, local time, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, the capital of France. This is the last stop on Modi's european visit on this round. In front of the meeting with Macron, Modi also visited Germany and Denmark.

On May 4, local time, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, the capital of France. Surging image

According to the Times of India reported on May 5, on the same day, Modi had announced the end of his trip to Europe and set off to return home. During his visit to Europe, he participated in a series of bilateral meetings to promote cooperation between India and various European countries in the fields of trade, energy and green technology.

Deutsche Welle (DW) published an article on May 1 that Modi's visit to the three European countries is to strengthen India's partnership with the European Union. India's position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been criticized by Western allies, so there is concern about how Modi discussed the situation in Ukraine with the European side during the visit.

Radio France International (RFI) reported on May 4 that Modi's visit to Europe at this time will obviously be "under pressure" and he will be asked to "keep his distance from Moscow"; but Modi also hopes to use India's "pivotal" position to "sell" in Europe.

The unavoidable Russian-Ukrainian conflict

According to India Today reported on the 5th, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that Modi and Macron agreed when they met on May 4 that "close coordination and contact" is important, and only then can India and France "play a constructive role in the changing (Russian-Ukrainian) situation".

Before Modi's official visit to Europe, it was widely believed that the visit would talk about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Deutsche Welle reported on May 1 that Modi will use the visit to explain India's position to European leaders and better understand what Germany and Europe have to say. In stark contrast to EU countries, India has avoided condemning Russia since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in full swing, and has even stepped up its efforts to buy cheap Russian oil. This has led many Western countries to criticize India.

Modi's first stop on his visit to Europe was Germany. Before Modi's visit, German Federal Foreign Minister Tobias Lindner said: "No major problem can be solved without India, According to Deutsche Welle. ”

Deutsche Welle reported on May 2 that German Chancellor Scholz held a formal meeting with Modi, who was visiting the country. Scholz praised India as "Germany's core partner in Asia" and stressed that "close cooperation with India on global issues" is something he "very much wants to continue and expand." Scholz reiterated his call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, saying he and Modi agreed "not to use force and violence to change national borders."

Speaking with Scholz, Modi said: "Recent geopolitical events show how fragile peace and stability in the world are, and how closely countries are connected to each other. Modi reiterated that India calls for a ceasefire and that dialogue is the only way to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

According to Deutsche Welle, Indian Foreign Secretary Kwatra said European countries "not only understand but also deeply appreciate India's position on the situation in Ukraine." The report pointed out that Modi did not hold a press conference after meeting with Scholz. Allegedly, this was Modi's request.

The Print wrote in a May 3 review article that the Modi government's neutral stance in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was the result of deliberation. While India is under pressure from its U.S.-led Western allies, it is also aware that Western countries such as Germany are still buying fossil fuels from Russia. This means that "the national interest must always be above the moral high ground applied by third parties".

The Print commented that both India and Germany have some kind of special relationship with Russia, which provides a "common language" for both India and Germany.

On May 3, Modi attended the second Indo-Nordic Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Leaders from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden also participated in the summit. At the summit, India and the Nordic countries discussed the damage to stability caused by the situation in Ukraine and the broader regional and global implications of the conflict, according to Indian media reports.

Indo-European interaction is frequent

Recently, there has been frequent interaction between India and Europe. On April 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India and the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank in New Delhi, jointly hosted the Reissina Dialogue. European Commission President von der Leyen will attend the Reissina Dialogue in India as the guest of honour. Before von der Leyen's visit to India at the end of April, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also visited India. According to the Indian Express, foreign ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway and Luxembourg also took the opportunity of the "Reicina Dialogue" to visit India.

During his visit to Europe, Modi discussed cooperation with several European countries in the areas of defense, trade, energy and green technology. Germany and India signed a series of cooperation agreements on May 2, focusing on renewable energy, and Germany promised to provide India with 10 billion euros of investment; an agreement signed by the two countries also involved "reducing India's dependence on Russian fossil fuels," According to Radio France International on May 4.

In its interactions with the Nordic countries, India has highlighted Arctic and climate issues. The main agenda of the second Indo-Nordic Summit includes post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change, innovative technologies, renewable energy, the changing global security situation, and Cooperation between India and the Nordic countries in the Arctic region. In April, the Indian government reportedly released a plan of action on the Arctic; India has a research base for glaciers and partnerships with Nordic countries on green energy.

According to the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on May 5, Indian Foreign Secretary Kwatra said that Modi and Macron extensively discussed all key issues of bilateral cooperation during the Paris talks, including defense, space, civil atomic energy cooperation and people-to-people cooperation. Modi also invited Macron to visit India.

Kwatra also stressed that India and France have a "strong strategic and defense partnership," which is in line with India's national policy of "self-reliance."

India is an important strategic partner of the EU and the THIRD largest trading partner of the EU. According to Deutsche Welle reported on May 1, the trade in goods between India and the EU in 2020 reached 62.8 billion euros (about 440.3 billion yuan), and India is also the EU's second largest export destination after the United States.

France Radio International reported that India is looking forward to restarting free trade talks with the European Union, which have been on hold since 2013, with the last related meeting taking place in October 2019.

In addition to cooperation on economic and trade, energy performance, climate and other issues, India's interaction with European countries has also revealed a distinct strategic significance. According to Deutsche Welle, India's former ambassador to Germany, Gurjit Singh, said Germany's "Indo-Pacific Policy" guidelines outlined in 2021 expressed a new willingness to engage with India. Mohan Kumar, India's former ambassador to France, argues that it is in India's interest for the EU to become a powerful, independent "pole" in a multipolar world; the Ukraine crisis could also promote Europe to become strategically decisive.

Kumar told Deutsche Welle: "Germany has a new chancellor (Scholz) and Modi believes in 'personal diplomacy', so this meeting will be key." ”

Is India really important?

Foreign Policy reported on May 2 that while Modi's trip to Europe was his first foreign visit this year, Modi has not lacked international attention recently, with foreign dignitaries "pouring" into India over the past few months. For the West, India once represented only potential economic interests; however, after the situation in Ukraine deteriorated, the Western countries had to carry out a "persuasion campaign" against India.

Foreign Policy also notes that India's "neutrality" on ukraine reminds the West that not all major powers see the world the way the United States or the European Union views the world. India has thus received enviable treatment: Western countries have provided more orders for arms sales to curry favor with India, Russia has offered India discount goods for economic benefits, and India's diplomatic relations with neighboring countries have been eased.

India also seems satisfied with its international standing. According to the Indian Express reported on May 4, on the 3rd, Modi said in a speech to the Indian community in Denmark: "Whatever India has achieved today, it is the achievement of about one-fifth of the global population... When I met with world leaders, they proudly told me about the achievements of the Indian community that settled in their country. ”

But in the long run, India still lacks economic attractiveness. The Diplomat commented on May 3 that India still needs to work toward sustained economic growth, build a solid export base and ensure social harmony and political stability.

Shaping itself as an economic partner that can replace China is an important strategy for India, and it seems to benefit from the posture of some Western politicians toward China. However, India's economy is still struggling to recover to the high levels of growth that followed the economic reforms of the early 1990s. Today, young children are out of school, COVID-19 is raging, ethnic violence and other issues plague India.

"No foreign investor would be willing to bet without a certain level of trust in a country's political and social climate, and without a certain degree of confidence in its law and order." In terms of long-term cooperation opportunities with the EU, the ball is still on the side of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch. The Diplomat's commentary article on the 3rd wrote. The implication of its "ball and pitch" metaphor is that there is still a lot of room for effort on the Part of India in order to maintain long-term cooperation with the EU.

Responsible editor: Hu Zhenqing Photo editor: Jiang Lidong

Proofreader: Liu Wei