European Union appoints military attache to mission in India

The European Union (EU) has posted a military attache to its mission in India, marking a significant step in the deepening defence and strategic collaboration between the two entities. This represents the EU’s inaugural appointment of a military attache to India, highlighting the upward trend in their overall strategic partnership over recent years. The overall strategic ties between India and the 27-nation EU have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years. India is among a select group of countries where the EU has appointed military attaches. The EU has been focusing on expanding military cooperation with India and many other countries in the Indo-Pacific. In February last year, the European Union vowed to enhance its defence and security engagement with its partners in the Indo-Pacific and announced the extension of the concept of a coordinated maritime presence in the north-west Indian Ocean. The 27-nation bloc came out with a detailed note on its strategy for the Indo-Pacific following a meeting of its ministerial forum in Paris in February last year. In September, 2021, the EU unveiled its strategy for boosting economic, political and defence ties in the Indo-Pacific. With inputs from PTI