COVID-19: EU, French president express solidarity with India

April 23, 2021 19:50

As India battles a massive spike in coronavirus cases amid an oxygen shortage, the European Union and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with the country on Friday and offered their support to it in dealing with the situation.

"I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no-one. We stand ready to provide our support," Macron said.

His message was posted on Twitter by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.

President of the European Council Charles Michel said India and the EU will discuss possible cooperation in fighting the pandemic at a virtual summit between the two sides on May 8.

"The #EU stands in solidarity with Indian people amidst resurgent #COVID19 pandemic. The fight against the virus is a common fight. We will discuss our support and cooperation at EU-India Leaders' meeting on 8 May with

@narendramodi and @antoniocostapm," he said in a tweet.

The 16th India-EU summit will be held virtually on May 8.

In a separate development, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a virtual meeting on Friday with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, on preparations for the summit

In a tweet, Jaishankar described the meeting as "warm and productive".

"Appreciated the support offered by EU on Covid challenges currently faced by India. Confident that EU will help strengthen our capabilities at this critical juncture," he said.

-- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Kerala woman cadet onboard ship seized by Iran returns home

At the airport, Joseph was received by the regional passport officer.

SC sets aside T'gana HC order declaring 106 acre of forest land as private

The humans have "selective amnesia" about the significance of forests, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while advocating the need for a change in approach towards natural resources from anthropocentric to ecocentric.

'Sun will rise tomorrow!' Curran vows PBKS' turnaround

Stand-in captain Sam Curran lauded the efforts of Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh, who displayed remarkable composure in a high-pressure chase.

Hardik admits MI nerves 'tested' in thrilling win

The MI skipper was full of praise for Ashutosh's whirlwind knock, which kept PBKS in the hunt till the end.

Shooters surveyed Salman's Panvel farmhouse before Bandra house attack

Two men arrested for firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai had conducted a survey of his farm house at Panvel in adjoining Raigad district four days before the shooting incident, police said on Thursday.