Kallas pitches for stronger ties between EU, Indo-Pacific nations

India on Friday joined 63 countries at the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Brussels, where EU High Representative Kaja Kallas called for a renewed push to strengthen cooperation on security, connectivity and the international rules-based order.

Secretary (West) Sibi George represented New Delhi and held discussions with Kallas along with the foreign ministers of Cyprus, Maldives, Somalia and Tuvalu, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Launching the forum, Kallas said Europe and the Indo-Pacific were “at a critical juncture”, facing shared pressures ranging from strategic competition and climate change to global disruptions and emerging security threats. “Whether we are closer to the Atlantic Ocean or the Andaman Sea, we are all in the same boat,” she told delegates.

"Both Europe and partners in the Indo-Pacific are at a critical juncture. We face the same challenges – such as climate change, terrorism, global and regional crises. Let’s turn these challenges into opportunities for growth, partnership and innovation," Kallas posted on X.

She emphasised that what binds the two regions is a firm commitment to international law and the multilateral institutions that uphold it. She argued that upholding the rules-based order offered “a chance for progress” at a time when geopolitical headwinds were challenging national resilience.

Unveiling a new EU initiative to protect undersea infrastructure, she said maritime security must evolve to address vulnerabilities in subsea cables that carry global data. The effort, she noted, would draw on legal and political expertise across regions and invited Indo-Pacific partners to join. “We need to do this better,” she said.

The EU’s approach to the Indo-Pacific, Kallas added, is anchored in three pillars: enhanced security cooperation, sustainable economic growth, and deeper collaboration on climate resilience. She highlighted ongoing joint naval exercises, maritime domain awareness programmes, digital partnerships, free-trade negotiations and EU investments under the Global Gateway initiative.

On global flashpoints, Kallas warned that the wars in Europe and the Indo-Pacific were increasingly interconnected. She cited North Korean arms transfers to Russia and “dual-use exports” from China that, she said, were fuelling Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The EU, she stressed, supports any plan that can deliver a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv.

Calling for unity, Kallas urged Europe and the Indo-Pacific to act decisively in shaping global norms and strengthening cooperation across governments, companies and civil society.