India-EU Leaders' Meeting will discuss challenge posed by COVID-19, security cooperation: Ambassador Ugo Astuto

India-EU Leaders'Meeting on May 8 will discuss the response to challenge posed by COVID-19 besides security cooperation, connectivity, trade, investment and fight against climate change.

The meeting will be held virtually.

Speaking to ANI, European Union Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto said there is need of a global response to COVID-19 challenge and the summit will discuss on how to go about it.

"The leaders' meeting is going to take place in the backdrop of pandemic. And India and EU will begin with initial proposition which is to show solidarity. We need a global response to this global challenge. The summit will discuss how to go about it and how to translate it in to concrete steps. And also how EU and India together can shape the agenda of international community when it comes to the response to COVID," he said.

The EU Ambassador said that apart from COVID-19, there would be broader agenda for the countries to work on.

"It would be interesting meeting vis-a-vis rest of our broader agenda which includes cooperation on security and also on connectivity, trade and investment and fight against climate change and digital transition. These are few of the highlights of conversations that will take place on May 8," he said

Asked if the world should start accepting a 'new normal' concerning COVID-19 in the wake of mutations of virus, the Ambassador said that there is a need to listen to science.

"We need to listen what science tells us. As of today, we need to roll out more vaccines and then we can hope for better times. But we can't lower our guard now," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )