EU to take on India over the human rights violations issue
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BRUSSELS: Human rights will be part of next EU-India Summit, says head of high-level European Union delegation about the visit to New Delhi later this year.
Human rights have been bone of contention between EU and India. The two sides could not reach a final conclusion on Free Trade Agreement (FTA), despite decade of negotiations.
EU insisted during the negotiation that any trade deal between EU and India is subjected to respecting human rights. Protection of human rights is enshrined in European constitution and it is a cornerstone of European democratic values.
India is fourth strategic partner of the European Union. After 4 years of suspension, EU-India last year prime ministers took part in the summit in September 2016.
Last year, India decided to resume political dialogue and engaged European Union, says European Commission.
Afzal Khan, MEP Socialist Group, Amjad Bashir, MEP ECR Group, and Lochbeela, MEP of Green Left asked question about human rights violations in Kashmir.
Lochbeela said questions about discrimination against Dalits and Indian involvement in alleged war crimes in SriLanka must be answered before any trade deals with India.
