Amid the crisis in West Asia, a major source of India’s energy procurement, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has held high-level talks with his counterparts from the 27 member states of the European Union in Brussels, discussing its ripple effects on global energy security. Both sides underlined the need for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis. The minister highlighted the strong momentum following the India–EU Summit in January and called for unlocking the full potential of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), as well as deepening defence industrial collaboration and maritime cooperation under the security and defence partnership. He also emphasized the need to transform the India-EU Trade and Technology Council into a more outcome-driven forum.

Global oil and gas prices have surged after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Iran moved to virtually block the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). It was the first high-level visit from India to the Brussels-headquartered European Union after the two sides firmed up a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) following summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EU leadership in January. Jaishankar visited the Belgian capital at the invitation of EU foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas to attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which comprises the foreign ministers of the bloc. He also held separate meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and his counterparts from EU member states such as Germany and Belgium.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared ambition to further elevate India-EU cooperation to a higher strategic level. They also underlined the importance of regular consultations on key global and regional issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Jaishankar also held separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands. India-EU relations have entered a phase of renewed strategic momentum, with both sides intensifying engagement on the implementation of the ‘Towards 2030: A Joint India-EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda’.