The potential for India-EU collaboration will be much better when the country is a five-trillion dollar economy, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Tuesday.
Puri was speaking at an event for the release of a book, titled 'India and EU: An Insider's View', written by former Indian envoy Bhaswati Mukherjee. The event was organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs.
The book launch also saw a discussion on India and EU relations between Tomasz Kozlowski, ambassador of the European Union, Alexandre Ziegler, ambassador of France and the author.
Mukherjee said India will benefit from the Brexit.
"India looks at EU with a British prism. After the Brexit, the UK will become a second class power whose GDP will be lower than India," she said while stressing there will be a new phase of India-EU relationship after the Brexit.
Puri stressed that there is a huge potential in India-EU relations.
"The potential for the India-Eu collaboration will be much better when we are a five-trillion dollar economy...because our development challenges are of a magnitude which somebody sitting in Brussels probably finds it difficult to comprehend," Puri said.
He stressed that one has to "absorb the reality" staring in the face while signing free-trade agreements.
EU ambassador Kozlowski said Europe perceives India as a country with growing engagement on global and international issues and promoting its soft power and building diverse partnerships and emerging global power.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
