India, EU postpone Brussels summit
NEWDELHI: India and the European Union (EU) on Thursday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Brussels for a summit meeting, expected to be held next week, would be rescheduled in view of precautionary measures related to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Modi had been expected to visit Brussels for the India-EU Summit to be held on March 13. The announcement came a day after the European Defence Agency (EDA) confirmed that one of its staffers tested positive for the novel coronavirus and cancelled all meetings to be held at its premises until March 13. The proposed summit was under a cloud because the European Parliament is expected to vote on a resolution critical of India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) later this month. The resolution was debated in January but a vote was deferred – a move that was seen as being aimed at allowing the summit to go ahead smoothly.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told a news briefing that India and the EU agreed “it would be wise to reschedule the summit to a later mutually convenient date” as health authorities had advised against travel between regions.
“The decision has been taken in the spirit of the close cooperation between India and the EU, who share the same concerns and commitment to global health and hope that the (Covid-19) outbreak is contained soon,” he said.
A statement issued by the EU said the two sides jointly decided to postpone the summit.