PM Janša sees India as strategic partner
Mumbai - Prime Minister Janez Janša has told The Economic Times, an Indian newspaper, that Slovenia saw India as an "important global, indeed, strategic partner of Slovenia and the EU as a whole," as he gave an interview dedicated to economic cooperation.
In an interview released on Saturday, he said the informal EU-India summit in May 2021 had "reinforced the EU-India strategic partnership, which is underpinned by the shared values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights."
"We are aware that the EU is one of India's largest trading partners and foreign investor and we know that in the new digital era, we need close cooperation on global digital standards and also in relation to and beyond 5G."
"We need to keep the global trading system open and further develop trade and investment relations to unleash their full potential, particularly in the context of post Covid-19 economic recovery," according to the prime minister.
Janša said Slovenia was keen to further the India-EU partnership thorough its port in Koper. "Because we have good infrastructure, experience in logistics, and a safe and stable economic environment, we can become a crucial strategic partner for India and also be an entry point for Indian exports to the European markets."
Touching on a contract that Slovenian aircraft maker Pipistrel signed in 2015 involving the delivery of light aircraft to India, Janša said that with its successful implementation, Slovenia and India "secured a firm foundation for future bilateral cooperation in the field of defence".
"I see the possible concretization of the visions of the plans to strengthen defence industry partnerships because of the strengthening of dialogue and cooperation between India and the European Union as the Indo-Pacific region is becoming an increasingly important security topic."