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India Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- India Gazette
ORF and CMA CGM Group to host First Raisina Mediterranean Forum
Marseille [France], June 12 (ANI): The inaugural edition of Raisina Mediterranean is set to take place in Marseille on June 12 and 13. Hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the CMA CGM Group through its center of excellence dedicated to learning and innovation, TANGRAM, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, India, and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France, the event will bring together more than 250 distinguished participants from 38 countries. This high-level convening will include ministers, former heads of state and government, parliamentarians, senior officials, and leading subject matter experts, an official statement from the Observer Research Foundation noted. As per the statement, Raisina Mediterranean is envisioned as a platform for meaningful dialogue on issues of regional and global significance. It seeks to explore how the Mediterranean's evolving ties with India and the Indo-Pacific will shape shared futures. With the support of key partners, including Airbus, ORF Middle East, and the Gates Foundation, the forum aims to chart a new course for Mediterranean cooperation, one that reflects the region's strategic centrality in the emerging global order. Over two days, participants will engage in conversations on critical issues including regional and inter-regional partnerships in trade, connectivity, maritime cooperation, energy, defence technology, blue growth, and innovation. The goal is to build the foundations of a resilient and interconnected Mediterranean community that can influence global conversations around governance, sustainability, and prosperity. A key highlight of the forum is the Deep Tech Network at Raisina Mediterranean--a closed-door roundtable connecting deep tech founders, investors, and global partners to tackle urgent challenges such as AI safety, drone defence, climate resilience, and biosecurity. The session will explore solutions across secure infrastructure, sovereign capabilities, and dual-use innovation, creating space to share insights, propose new alliances, and identify immediate opportunities for cross-sector collaboration. The forum will also feature a series of studio sessions, offering deeper insights into niche but consequential themes. These will explore India-Europe defence technology cooperation, the role of the Mediterranean in larger Indo-Pacific connectivity and infrastructure ambitions, the future of maritime trade and investment, evolving trade relationships, and the need for a more equitable dialogue between Africa and the West. Welcomed by Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, and Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India, several distinguished leaders from across the region and beyond will take part in this landmark gathering. Among them are S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India; Jean-Noel Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France; Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Armenia; Michael Falzon, Minister for Social Policy and Children's Rights, Malta; Giorgos Papanastasiou, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Cyprus; Athanasios Ntokos, National Security Advisor, Greece; Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Italy; Stefanos Gkikas, Deputy Minister for Shipping and Insular Policy, Greece; and Davit Karapetyan, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Armenia. Other prominent figures participating in the discussions include Marcos Perestrello de Vasconcellos, Member of Parliament, Portugal; Fernando Gutierrez, Member of Parliament, Spain; Natalia Pouzyreff, Member of Parliament, France; Anurag Thakur, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and former Minister for Information and Broadcasting, India; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Member of Parliament, India; Manish Tewari, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, India; Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India; Francesco M. Talo, Special Envoy for IMEC, Italy; and Gerard Mestrallet, Special Envoy of the French President for IMEC. From the industry and diplomatic sectors, the gathering will also hear from Tanya Saade Zeenny, Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group and President of the CMA CGM Foundation; Tristan Aureau, Head of the Policy Planning Department at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; and Sanjeev Singla, Ambassador of India to France and Monaco. Taking place for the first time in this part of the world, Raisina Mediterranean extends the legacy of the Raisina Dialogue--India's flagship platform on geopolitics and geoeconomics, organised annually by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Over the years, Raisina has successfully travelled to cities including Sydney, Washington, Berlin, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, and Canberra, engaging global thought leaders in meaningful exchange. As per the statement, certain open-door sessions at the Raisina Mediterranean will be streamed live on the official Raisina Dialogue X handle (@raisinadialogue) and the Observer Research Foundation YouTube channel. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is a leading Indian think tank with global outreach through its offices in Washington DC and Dubai. ORF provides non-partisan, research-based analysis to policymakers, businesses, and civil society, and plays a vital role in shaping global conversations on key issues. The CMA CGM Group is a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, true to its corporate purpose, 'We imagine better ways to serve a world in motion.' The world's 3rd largest shipping company, CMA CGM, serves more than 420 ports across 5 continents with a fleet of over 650 vessels. In 2024, CMA CGM carried over 23 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers. The CMA CGM Foundation provides humanitarian aid in crises and is committed to education for all and equal opportunities throughout the world. To date, the CMA CGM Foundation has transported 63,000 tons of humanitarian aid to 97 countries and supported over 550 educational projects. (ANI)
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Jawed Ashraf writes: India and Europe can anchor a multipolar world
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's second visit to Europe within a month reflects a deepening India-Europe engagement even as the two sides deal with volatile US policies, era-shaping geopolitical shifts, terrorism from Pakistan and escalating conflict in Europe. Highlights include Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France to co-chair the AI Action Summit and the visit by the re-elected European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, and the college of commissioners to India in February. The MEA-supported Raisina Dialogue also makes a debut this week in the strategic port city of Marseille. Europe faces extraordinary challenges. War has returned. Economic difficulties, concerns over security and immigration, and rising issues of identity and culture are reshaping politics. The European Union's (EU's) many internal stresses and faultlines have made managing the European project more complex, though Brexit has dissuaded even the most nationalist governments from abandoning the EU. The external challenges are greater. Europe must contend with US President Donald Trump's disdain for NATO and near dismantling of long-adrift transatlantic relations, the rupture in relations with Russia, and the geopolitical and economic strain in ties with China. Multilateralism, Europe's refuge for order and its instrument of international influence, is crumbling. Europe risks strategic irrelevance and a rising gap with the US and China in innovation and competitiveness. The world's most open major economy faces an upturned global trade regime. And, as it happens in continental landmasses, to Europe's east, the lines that define the political and cultural geography of what constitutes Europe are perennially contested. But the EU has shown remarkable cohesion and resilience in its response to Covid, the Ukraine war and Trump's onslaught. Its project of horizontal and vertical integration continues. Relations with the UK are improving. Europe is waking up to the need for independence in foreign and security policy, the pursuit of industrial and digital sovereignty, a resilient internal supply chain and a stronger defence industrial base. It has the intellectual, industrial and investment capacity for that. But Europe cannot do it by itself. It needs new patterns of alignment. Equally, global uncertainty has reinforced India's traditional proclivity for a diversified portfolio of partnerships. Engagement with Europe involves two levels. With the EU in its areas of exclusive and shared competences, there is a long tradition of summits, and now, expansion of strategic dialogues, including in trade, technology, security and foreign policy. With older and major member states, ties are strengthening and acquiring new dimensions. The Nordic region is the new frontier and attention has returned to the dynamic east. The EU is a leading and growing trade and investment partner for India. According to a Institut Montaigne study on the EU's ties in the Indo-Pacific, Eurostat data shows that between 2015 and 2022, EU27 FDI stock registered the strongest growth in India at 96 per cent, exceeding Taiwan's 93 per cent and China's 52 per cent. From France alone, the FDI stock grew a whopping 373 per cent. In trade, too, between 2015 and 2023, EU27 exports to India grew 47 per cent, behind 83 per cent to Taiwan and 54 per cent to China. EU imports from India grew by over 100 per cent, second behind Taiwan from the Indo-Pacific. Surveys indicate a trend toward diversification away from China, though less than that of US companies. The EU must conclude the EU-India trade and investment agreements quickly, starting with an early harvest, and also waive the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for India in view of India's progress in green energy. These will accelerate IMEC, the great new strategic initiative that reprises an old India-Europe corridor, and will survive the current instability in the Middle East. It aims to be not just a trade route but a new global corridor of investment, innovation, enterprise and energy. India must invest more in Europe. India and Europe converge on the public character and purpose of digital technology and in preventing a global duopoly. As Modi said at the AI Action Summit, we can collaborate in innovation, application, regulation, governance, standards and serving public good globally. That also applies to digital public infrastructure. India can benefit from Europe's leadership in deeptech, digital manufacturing, enterprise technologies and key areas of the semiconductor chain. Indeed, science, technology and innovation should drive our partnership — to lead industries of the future and address global priorities, including diverse clean energy sources, climate resilience, health and food security, biodiversity and the sustainability of Earth and its oceans. This also requires a comprehensive mobility programme of higher ambition for students, scholars and scientists. Europe is a significant source of armaments for India. Europe, seeking to rearm itself, and India pursuing atmanirbharta, must prioritise collaboration and full transfer of technology in joint design, development and manufacturing of defence equipment. We have robust cooperation in the areas of maritime, underwater, space and cyber security, as also in counter-terrorism with many European partners. Beyond technical and intelligence cooperation, Europe, hit by Islamist terrorism, and sometimes with the provenance of Pakistan, needs to do more to penalise Pakistan for terrorism. Great powers believe they can bend the world to their will but often cause chaos. Middle powers need to leverage partnerships and institutions to resist and maximise their roles. India and the EU have a broader global agenda that rises beyond differences on Ukraine or Pakistan. India and a united, cohesive Europe, with an independent voice and capabilities, can build a stable multipolar world, anchored in international law, underpinned by the discipline of multilateralism and free from territorial ambitions. India and Europe approach challenges through coalitions, not unilateral initiatives or the use of asymmetric bilateral power. That calls for collaboration, not the EU's prescriptive approach on its norms. For the Global South, partnerships can protect our interests against mounting competition and also mitigate global fragmentation. In the Indo-Pacific region, while France is a key security partner for India, working with others and the EU, India can help countries avoid coercion by one hegemon or a forced choice between two major powers. Attention and time, imagination and ambition, and sensitivity to each other's concerns transform relationships. Europe and India need more of that despite other immediate preoccupations in Brussels, Delhi and European capitals. We must involve all stakeholders and also reshape media stereotypes and public perceptions. The author is a retired Indian ambassador
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
EAM Jaishankar meets European Parliament President Roberta Metsola; discusses trade, strategic partnerships
Brussels [Belgium], June 11 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed cooperation between India and Europe on several fronts, including trade, technology and security. In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, 'A warm conversation with @EP_President Roberta Metsola in Brussels this morning. Discussed further strengthening of India-EU parliamentary ties, building upon our shared values of democracy and pluralism. Value her positive sentiments on advancing our partnership in trade, technology and security.' The similar sentiments were shared by European Parliament President Metsola, who said that they look forward towards transforming commitments to actions for strengthening India-Europe strategic partnerships. 'Delighted to welcome India's External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to @Europarl_EN. As negotiations on a free trade agreement advance, we look forward to transforming commitments into actions and to strengthening the strategic partnership between Europe and India', she wrote on X. EAM Jaishankar had an action-packed day in Brussels earlier, where he held several high-profile interactions. On Tuesday, Jaishankar met the Prime Minister of Belgium on Tuesday and discussed the strengthening of India-Belgium cooperation on several fronts such as security, defence and trade. He also met the King of Belgium during his visit. Earlier, EAM Jaishankar also held a press conference with the Vice-President of the European Union, Kaja Kallas. During the address to the media, Kaja Kallas stressed the EU's support for India's right to protect its citizens and condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Kallas said, 'I want to reiterate the EU's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Those responsible must be held accountable. India has the right to protect its citizens in accordance with international law. Minister Jaishankar, you and I were in close contact after the attack.' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Belgium on Tuesday and stated that the 'strategic partnership' between India and the EU is 'getting stronger.' Jaishankar interacted with members of the Indian community of Belgium and Luxembourg, discussing the steady progress of India-Belgium ties and its engagement with the European Union. During the interaction, Jaishankar apprised the community of India's efforts to counter terrorism and promote the country's progress and prosperity. (ANI)
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
C Raja Mohan writes: Trump-era volatility has drawn India and Europe closer
External Affairs Minister Subrah-manyam Jaishankar's visit to Europe this week and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's travel to Canada for the G7 summit present an opportunity to engage with the growing divergence within the West in the Trump era. Modi is also visiting Cyprus and Croatia, highlighting India's growing interest in Mediterranean Europe. Delhi's new focus on Europe acknowledges the old continent's emerging role as a potential swing state in the shifting dynamic among major powers — the US, Russia, and China. Equally significant are the new possibilities for deeper India-Europe strategic cooperation. Jaishankar's visit aims to accelerate strategic dialogue with the EU while reinforcing the longstanding partnership with France and strengthening ties with Belgium. Modi's G7 summit attendance goes beyond resetting troubled bilateral ties with Canada — it offers a chance to recalibrate relations with a Western world experiencing a rare upheaval. The G7 has long been the voice of the collective West, establishing norms for global economic governance, security, and political values. This elite club of industrial democracies — the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan — has arguably been far more consequential than the UNSC. The 2025 summit convenes amid deepening divisions within the G7. Since the last summit hosted by Canada in 2018, when his European colleagues confronted a defiant Donald Trump, these divisions have intensified. Unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, who emphasised alliances and partnerships, Trump views allies as 'free riders' who benefit from US security commitments but do not pay their fair share of the West's collective defence burden. He also believes allies have exploited America through unfair trade practices. India needs to put Trump's equivocation in its recent conflict with Pakistan in perspective. Trump dismisses NATO — which America established in 1949 after spending much blood and treasure in the World Wars — and shows little regard for the Five Eyes, the historically close-knit Anglo-American alliance that predates NATO. His suggestion that Canada become a US state exemplifies how he has belittled Western unity and challenged long-held alliances. It should not be a surprise if he sets aside the precedent for Washington's de-hyphenation of Delhi and Islamabad. Trump's return to the White House has thrown the G7 into disarray. While the US remains central to the group, its leadership of the West has come under a cloud. Trump's reluctance to defend Ukraine's sovereignty and eagerness to deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin have alarmed European allies — particularly Germany, France, and the UK — creating a fundamental rift within the G7. As the summit host in 2025, Canada has assumed a broader diplomatic role following its unresolved political tensions with Trump. Ottawa must now reconsider its strategic calculations, historically tied to the US. Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation to Modi is part of a new effort to diversify Canada's international relations. So is his courtship of Europe. Ottawa is negotiating a landmark defence agreement with the EU to reduce its dependence on US security guarantees. Through the EU's Readiness 2030 initiative and advocacy for joint critical mineral strategies, Canada is developing a transatlantic identity more aligned with Europe than ever. Under Keir Starmer, the UK — once the champion of transatlanticism — is reorienting toward Europe. While Brexit aimed to revitalise the Anglosphere, the 2025 UK-EU defence pact acknowledges Europe's strategic importance for Britain. Under Friedrich Merz, Germany has ended decades of strategic passivity. Constitutional debt brake reforms now enable massive defence and infrastructure investment, positioning Germany for European security leadership. Berlin's dual strategy — reaffirming NATO commitments while advocating European strategic autonomy — demonstrates both realism and ambition. Emmanuel Macron's well-known promotion of European 'strategic autonomy' has acquired a new edge in Trump's second presidency. France is offering to extend its nuclear umbrella over European partners and wants to expand Europe's defence capabilities in partnership with Germany. Recovering from the Trump shock and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UK, France, and Germany have intensified security collaboration. A rising Poland is now among Europe's leading powers. The Weimar Triangle of France, Germany and Poland is emerging as a powerful force in central Europe. Even as they take greater responsibility for European security, Britain, France, Germany, and Poland seek an expanded presence in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. Japan, the G7's sole Asian member, has long advocated for European engagement in Asian security amid China's assertiveness. Despite its ambivalence toward China, Europe is spreading its bets with deeper ties to ASEAN, Australia, India, Japan, and South Korea. The India-Europe relationship has begun to move from the margins to the centre of major-power relations for both Delhi and Brussels. Europe's push for strategic autonomy aligns with India's worldview. The once-improbable India-Europe Free Trade Agreement now looks within reach. The proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor aims to reshape Eurasian connectivity and secure alternative supply chains amid the US-China rivalry. The EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC), established in 2023, advances cooperation in AI, quantum computing, outer space, and green technologies. Europe's ReArm Plan (2025), targeting €800 billion for defence modernisation by 2030, creates opportunities for security collaboration with India. India's participation in EU defence mechanisms marks a shift from transactional arms deals to co-development. For Europe, India has become an important part of its economic and military diversification strategy. For Delhi, Europe offers a much-needed depth to India's great-power relations. Together, they can enhance the prospects for a multipolar global order amid increasing signs of a bipolar domination by the US and China. India and Europe also have their task cut out as America turns inwards and unpredictable. The writer is a distinguished fellow at the Council for Strategic and Defence Research and a contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express
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Business Standard
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Pakistan closes airspace for Indian carriers after Pahalgam terror attack
Pakistan on Thursday announced the closure of its airspace to Indian carriers, two days after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's (J&K's) Pahalgam killed 26 people, most of them tourists. Executives from India's leading airlines, particularly IndiGo and Air India, went into a huddle to devise alternative routes for their international flights that currently pass through Pakistani airspace. 'The new flight paths, especially for services to Europe and the United States, will be longer and will increase our operating costs. Airfares will rise,' an airline executive told Business Standard. Air India said on X that due to the airspace closure, some of its flights to or from North America, UK, Europe, and Middle East will take an alternative extended route. A SpiceJet spokesperson said that the airline's flights to the UAE from North India will now operate via alternative routes. As a result, these flights will carry additional fuel to account for the longer flying time. However, the spokesperson clarified that there is no significant impact on SpiceJet's flight schedules. IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India, and its subsidiary Air India Express did not respond to the queries sent by Business Standard on this matter. The aforementioned airline executive said that Indian carriers faced a similar situation for about five months in 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack. "If the airspace remains closed for a comparable period, the financial impact could be significant,' the executive added. The Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019, killed 40 CRPF personnel. In retaliation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, on February 26. Pakistan responded by immediately closing its airspace to Indian carriers, a restriction that lasted for about five months and was lifted on July 16, 2019. Indian carriers lost over ₹540 crore between February 26 and July 2, 2019, due to Pakistan's airspace closure, then Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had told the Rajya Sabha. Air India alone incurred losses of ₹491 crore, while private airlines SpiceJet, IndiGo, and GoAir lost ₹30.73 crore, ₹25.1 crore, and ₹2.1 crore, respectively, during that period. The statement from Air India on July 16, 2019, gives an idea of the additional expenses the airline could face now due to the airspace closure. At that time, Air India had stated that its operational costs for one-way flights to the US and Europe were expected to decrease by ₹20 lakh and ₹5 lakh, respectively, with the reopening of Pakistani airspace. "These additional costs (of ₹20 lakh per India-US flight and ₹5 lakh per India-Europe flight) were for the five-month period in 2019. They are going to be higher in 2025," an airline executive mentioned. Rerouting could become more complex and costly as Indian carriers' international operations have expanded significantly from 2019 to 2025. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, Air India now operates around 1,188 international flights per week, a 56.7 per cent increase from April 2019. Its India-Europe flights, many of which traverse Pakistan's airspace, have surged by about 80 per cent to 242 services per week. Similarly, its India-North America flights, also relying on Pakistan's airspace, have more than doubled to 144 per week. Air India's low-cost subsidiary Air India Express now operates about 954 international flights per week, a 65.1 per cent rise since April 2019. IndiGo operates 1,904 international flights per week, nearly 2.5 times the number it ran in April 2019. In February, IndiGo announced the acquisition of four B787-9 widebody aircraft on damp lease from Norse Atlantic Airways, with plans to launch India-Europe flights in the middle of the current summer season. Last year, IndiGo, traditionally a low-cost carrier with narrow-body planes, revealed a shift in its business model. In May 2024, it placed a firm order for 30 Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft, with an option for 70 more. Deliveries of these planes are set to begin in 2027.
