India, EU showing new path to a fractured world: Von der Leyen

India and Europe have made a "clear choice" to build a strategic partnership by leveraging their complementary strengths to show a new way of engagement to a "fractured world", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday ahead of summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
At the India-EU summit on Tuesday, the two sides are set to announce the conclusion of negotiations for the much-awaited free trade deal besides firming up a series of other ambitious initiatives. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, after a meeting with the two top European Union (EU) leaders, on Sunday hoped that the India-EU summit will herald a "new chapter" in the two-way ties. 
"India and Europe have made a clear choice. The choice of strategic partnership, dialogue and openness. Leveraging our complementary strengths. And building mutual resilience," Von der Leyen said on social media. "We are showing a fractured world that another way is possible," she said. 
Costa described India as a "crucial partner for the EU". "Together, we share the capacity and responsibility to protect the rules-based international order," he was quoted by the EU in a brief statement. It said the summit will offer an opportunity to build on the EU-India strategic partnership and further strengthen collaboration across key policy areas such as trade, security and defence, clean transition and people-to-people cooperation.
In a social media post, Jaishankar said it is a "great privilege" to have the two EU leaders as chief guests for the 77th Republic Day celebrations. "Confident that their upcoming discussions with Prime Minister @narendramodi will herald a new chapter in India-European Union relations," he added.
At the summit, India and the EU are also set to firm up a strategic defence partnership pact and a framework for mobility of Indian professionals. The relations between India and the EU have been on an upswing in the last few years. The EU, as a bloc, is India's largest trading partner in goods. For financial year 2024-25, India's total trade in goods with the EU was worth about USD 136 billion, with exports around USD 76 billion, and imports at USD 60 billion.