PM Modi holds bilateral talks with EU Presidents Costa, von der Leyen ahead of India-EU Summit

New Delhi [India], January 27 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a bilateral meeting with the President of the European Council, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in the national capital as part of the latter's ongoing state visit to India.
The meeting took place at Hyderabad House, with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas also in attendance.
PM Modi and the EU Presidents displayed bonhomie as they met at Hyderabad House.
Prior to this, the EU leaders paid tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, by laying a wreath at his memorial in Raj Ghat.
The ceremony, held in the presence of senior Indian officials, was part of their ongoing state visit and coincided with the 16th India-EU Summit in New Delhi, which will be co-chaired by PM Modi.
The European leaders also signed the guestbook at the memorial site after the wreath-laying ceremony and paid floral tributes to the Mahatma.
The visit comes at a time when both sides have concluded their discussion of a free trade agreement, which is expected to strengthen their shared commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, reiterating that it is the 'Mother of all deals' and illustrating the partnership between two major economies of the world. The deal becomes significant as it links two major economies that command a quarter of the world's GDP.
PM Modi made the remarks while virtually addressing the Opening Ceremony of India Energy Week 2026.
He added that the free trade agreement with the EU will complement existing agreements with the United Kingdom and members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
"Just yesterday, a massive agreement was signed between India and the European Union. People around the world are discussing it as the 'Mother of All Deals'. This agreement brings a huge opportunity for India's 1.4 billion people and the millions in European countries. This agreement is a brilliant example of coordination between two of the world's largest economies," PM Modi said.
"This agreement represents nearly 25 per cent of global GDP and almost one-third of global trade. This agreement empowers our shared commitment towards democracy and the rule of law. This Free Trade Agreement with the European Union will also complement Britain and EFTA's agreements... I congratulate the people of the nation for this," he added.
On Monday, the negotiations for the 'Mother of all deals', as it has been called, concluded successfully and will be announced today during the India-EU summit.
Earlier today, India and the European Union also inked the security and defence partnership here in the national capital.
Kallas, on the occasion, said, "The signing of the Security and Defence Partnership is a milestone, and we can build on that. There is so much more we can work together on in the multilateral fora, as well as bilaterally, to further develop defence cooperation."
With the signing of the deal, India becomes the third Asian country to have such a deal with the EU after Japan and South Korea. (ANI)