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Azië is het grootste en dichtst bevolkte continent en is van groot geostrategisch belang voor de EU. De EU werkt aan nauwere banden met de landen van Zuid-Azië. India is nu een strategische partner van de EU. De EU heeft veiligheidsbelangen in de regio, zoals het conflict in Kasjmir en Afghanistan. De EU is een sterke economische speler en belangrijke donor van ontwikkelingssteun en hulp, en richt zich op het stimuleren van institutionele opbouw, democratie, goed bestuur en mensenrechten.

India, once a leader of the Non-aligned Movement, is now moving away from its non-alignment position. New Delhi now maintains relationships in different configurations with a variety of countries for different purposes (such as within the BRICS). India also increasingly engages in regional groupings. The South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is supposed to be the main tool for integration in the region, but bilateral tensions with Pakistan have jeopardised its development. New Delhi ...

'Build a strong, self-reliant and self-confident India': that was the 2014 electoral promise of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has not wasted time, and has immediately started to work on relations with New Delhi's immediate neighbours and with the south-eastern partners through the new 'Act East' policy. Major powers have showed a renewed interest in India. But while relations with Washington and other Western countries are promising, this has not come at the detriment of New Delhi's ...

The EU is committed by Treaty to consolidate and support democracy worldwide. Parliamentary democracy is fundamental to achieve legitimacy and accountability. Moreover exchanges between parliaments enhance their role within each country and contribute to the spread of democratic values. The EU is also a staunch supporter of regional integration as a means of fostering regional stability, supporting economic growth and addressing global challenges. However, despite Asia being the world’s most dynamic ...

SAARC was founded in 1985, and is an economic and geopolitical organisation of eight countries located in southern Asia. However, the organisation has not advanced much in its three decades of existence, mainly because of the historic rivalry between India and Pakistan. This tension has blocked initiatives on several occasions, including at the November 2014 summit.