External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday welcomed the offer of support from the European Union to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in India.
The Minister had a virtual discussion with Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of the digital issues.
“Appreciated the support offered by EU on COVID challenges currently faced by India. Confident that EU will help strengthen our capabilities at this critical juncture,” said Mr Jaishankar after his video conversation with Ms. Vestager.
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Following Mr. Jaishankar's comment, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said in a social media post, “The EU stands in solidarity with Indian people amidst resurgent COVID-19 pandemic. The fight against the virus is a common fight. We will discuss our support and cooperation at EU-India Leaders’ meeting on 8 May with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Antonio Costa”.
The discussion was part of the bilateral preparation for the annual EU-India summit, which will be held in virtual mode on May 8. The virtual summit will substitute for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s in-person participation in the summit, which was to be held in Portugal but was cancelled earlier this week in view of the unfolding COVID-19 crisis here.