The United States welcomes an opportunity to discuss the inclusion of the European Union (EU) into the future Indo-Pacific initiatives, the US Department of State Assistant Secretary Karen Donfried said on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2021) The United States welcomes an opportunity to discuss the inclusion of the European Union (EU) into the future Indo-Pacific initiatives, the US Department of State Assistant Secretary Karen Donfried said on Friday.
"We welcome the opportunity to discuss how to include the EU, and other partners in our initiatives around the Indo-Pacific going forward," Donfried said at a press briefing. "We welcome the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy. We welcome France's engagement in the region, and we're looking forward to discussing the specifics of how we can deepen cooperation on the priorities identified in that strategy that we share."
The cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region could include strengthening of the international rules and ocean governance, and digital connectivity, Donfried added.
On 19 April 2021, the EU adopted conclusions on its strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The document represented an attempt of the 27 European countries to find a common ground in the ongoing debate on the Indo-Pacific. The adoption of the strategy signaled the growing strategic importance of the region for the EU.
As a follow-up to the conclusions, the European Commission presented a Joint Communication on the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy on September 16, 2021. As noted in the statement, the implementation of the EU Indo-Pacific strategy will include a number of actions, in particular completing EU trade negotiations with Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand.
