External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that India today finds increasing convergences with Europe and highlighted the growth of the Indian economy. In his speech at University College Dublin today, Mr Jaishankar recalled European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent visit to India along with 21 Commissioners. He noted that India and the EU have been negotiating a free trade agreement for almost 23 years and expressed hope that the exercise will end by the end of this year.

The Minister said, India is the fifth biggest economy and it will be the third by the end of this decade. He said, there is a lot that we see going on with Europe and again Ireland, as an integral part of that, would reap the benefits. He said that India and Ireland have a very robust level of trade and the leading companies of both nations have established a presence in each other’s economies.

Highlighting the bilateral ties between the two nations, Dr Jaishankar said, that economically today there is a very robust level of trade and it is currently estimated at 16 billion pounds. The External Affairs Minister said he is confident that India and Ireland believe in the need for a world order in international law and value international regimes and cooperation. He said, for that very reason, it is essential that such regimes are contemporary, fair and non-discriminatory. Dr Jaishankar said, today, the nature of the international system itself is an important subject of conversation between countries like India and Ireland.