LAHORE – Although the European Union is the largest trading partner of India, New Delhi is not happy with the EU’s ability to coordinate on policy and conduct effective diplomacy, besides being ‘intrusive and preachy’ classified US embassy cables shows, reported The Hindu newspaper on Sunday.
The cables, sent between 2004 and 2008 (22519, 40254, 82606, 130916, 171651: all confidential) showed reservations among policymakers at the level of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and in intellectual circles about cooperating on a strategy beyond economics. Instead, New Delhi preferred to negotiate with the big countries of Europe separately.
The revelations come even as India and the EU appear poised to ink a Free Trade Agreement projected to bring a $40-billion increase in trade after lengthy negotiations. The MEA officials, reported Ambassador to India David C Mulford, described the EU approach to South Asia in 2004 as ‘obvious, shabby, short-sighted and full of contradictions’ besides being ‘na
