(NDTV)
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for a seven-day tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, which is aimed at deepening India’s strategic engagement and trade ties with the four European countries. In Brussels, Ms Swaraj will meet the top leadership of the European Union during which both sides are likely to deliberate on removing hurdles for resumption of negotiations on the long-pending EU-India free trade pact.
The visit from June 17-23 will provide an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues and advance India’s growing strategic engagement with the European Union, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
In the first leg of her visit, Ms Swaraj will travel to Italy for the first major political exchange between the two countries after Giuseppe Conte assumed charge as the Italian prime minister. Ms Swaraj will call on PM Conte and also meet her counterpart, Mr Enzo Moavero Milanesi.
