India Still Indispensable Strategic Partner For EU, Josep Borrell Says As Russia-Ukraine War Intensifies

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Russia-Ukraine war has ‘shaken’ rules-based order, and factors like investment, energy, migration subjected to ‘weaponisation’.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell addresses a media briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: European Union’s Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell Wednesday came down heavily on Russia and China, and said factors like investment, energy, migration that used to bring countries closer have now been subjected to “weaponisaton”.

“What world do we live in today? What world do we see today? Let’s start with the obvious thing. The first thing we see is a war. It is a war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine that has shaken the rules-based order, the world economy and our global security,” Borrell, High Representative/Vice-President, EU, said in New Delhi Wednesday.

Ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Thursday, Borrell said: “We see that everything has become a weapon. [The] weaponisation of everything. The factors that used to bring us together are now instruments of power being used against the other: investment, energy, migration.” 

He added that while the entire Europe and the world at large is faced with several geopolitical challenges, India continues to remain EU’s “indispensable strategic partner”.

“We are facing geopolitical challenges, and India – believe me – remains an indispensable strategic partner for the European Union. You are — you have become — the fifth economy in the world, the most populated country and in not many years you will be the third economy in the world. So, in many areas, and in particular in energy, technology and economics, you are critical for us,” Borrell said, addressing an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The EU foreign policy head also said the ongoing war, which has been going on for over a year, has sent the energy prices soaring. He said while EU was 40 per cent dependent on gas imports from Russia, which in some cases also went up to 100 per cent. 

“We have learned that the supplier can have strategic intentions and that the nature of the regime of the supplier matters. We have had to take important steps in order to free ourselves from these dependencies – and we succeeded. Germany has cut its dependency on Russian fossil fuels to zero, in a record time,” he said. 

Therefore, Borrell added, this is the time when India and EU should collaborate on energy security especially in solar energy, green hydrogen and offshore green energy. 

“Intensifying outreach towards the private sector in both India and the European Union will be key,” he said adding, “This will be mutually beneficial and a long-term partnership with India in coordination with the G7 countries.”

US, China Fighting On AI Battlefield: Borrell 

According to Borrell, technology and, particularly, artificial intelligence (AI) will become the new battlefield for the US and China. 

“Today, we are in the middle of a technological race. Artificial intelligence will be the battlefield of the big confrontation between the United States and China. Robotics, quantum computing - all these words will shape our future, our economies, our societies,” he stressed. 

Borrell said: “Whoever will control these technologies will be the winner. And the best thing to do is to try to cooperate in order not to make these battlefields a real battle, a battle of influence.” 

He added: “Look at what is happening today. The United States is leading the technological race but there are four non-US companies which are rising and becoming maybe the masters of the technological future."