India continues to develop ties with Europe, deepens cooperation with Romania

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) In a significant milestone celebrating their historic ties, India and Romania have released a commemorative joint postal stamp showcasing the strong bond between the two nations and symbolising the rich cultural and traditional heritage of both the lands.

The stamp was released by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, and Ambassador of Romania to India Daniela-Mariana Sezonov ?ane.

"This milestone highlights the long-standing friendship and cooperation between India and Romania since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948. In February 2024, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their bilateral relations and the 10th anniversary of the Extensive Partnership, both sides issued a Joint Declaration to further deepen their collaboration," the MEA said in a statement on Wednesday.

India and Romania had signed the Joint Declaration on the establishment of an Extended Partnership between the two countries on March 8, 2013.

The document provided for consolidated cooperation in several sectors, including economy and trade, defence, space, agriculture, food industry, infrastructure, between SMEs, pharmaceutical industry, energy, nuclear energy for civil purposes, oil and natural gas exploitation, petrochemical industry, automobile industry , IT&C, culture, science and technology, higher education and research, tourism.

On February 23, 2024, the Joint Declaration following the 10th anniversary of the Signing of the Joint Statement on Establishing Extensive Partnership between Romania and India in 2013 was adopted during Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita-Teodora Odobescu's visit to New Delhi.

The anniversary joint declaration aimed at strengthening India-Romania bilateral relations, as well as cooperation in a multilateral context. It also outlined a priority sectoral approach in three areas, namely energy, IT&C and manufacturing.

The document stated that both countries have expressed their determination to complement the current Extensive Partnership and to explore new avenues of cooperation which will be a legacy for the generations to come, in accordance with the current regional and global realities and with the updated priorities.

The stamp launch builds upon a series of continuing high-level exchanges between India and European countries.

"If you look at the last 10 years of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, perhaps no government in our history has paid as much attention to developing ties with Europe as we have seen in the last decade. Not just ties with the big nation states, not just ties with Brussels, but ties with the sub-regions and individual countries. As we mark 100 days of the third term of the Modi government, I note that the Prime Minister has already been to Europe twice in this period," said EAM Jaishankar at the launch event.