The European Union and India are set to explore closer defence cooperation, including the possibility of Indian participation in European defence initiatives, according to a draft security and defence partnership document seen by Reuters.

The proposed partnership comes as Europe seeks to reduce strategic dependence on the United States and China, while strengthening diplomatic, economic and security ties with key partners in the Indo-Pacific.

For India, deeper engagement with the EU offers an opportunity to diversify defence cooperation beyond its traditional partners and expand its role as a major security actor.

Under the draft agreement, which is expected to be signed on Tuesday, the EU and India will consult regularly on their respective defence initiatives, including exchanges related to defence industries.

“The EU and India will consult on their respective defence initiatives, including through exchanges on defence industry-related matters,” the document said.

It added that both sides would explore opportunities for India’s participation in relevant EU defence initiatives, where mutual interests and aligned security priorities exist, and in accordance with their respective legal frameworks.

The partnership also foresees the establishment of an annual EU-India security and defence dialogue, alongside deeper cooperation in areas such as maritime security, cybersecurity and counterterrorism—domains that have gained urgency amid rising geopolitical tensions, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, and growing instability in key shipping routes.

“The growing complexity of global security threats, rising geopolitical tensions and rapid technological change underscore the need for closer EU-India dialogue and cooperation in security and defence,” the draft document said.

The announcement comes on a day of symbolic importance for India, with the country showcasing its military capabilities during its Republic Day parade in New Delhi, including the display of the BrahMos missile system.

The defence partnership is also expected to coincide with the conclusion of long-running negotiations on a free trade agreement between the EU and India, signalling a broader push to deepen economic and strategic relations between the two sides.

China’s President Xi Jinping said China and India were “good neighbours, friends and partners” as he wished President Droupadi Murmu congratulations on the South Asian nation’s Republic Day, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

Xi said that over the past year, China-India relations have continued to improve and develop and are of “great significance for maintaining and promoting world peace and prosperity,” according to Xinhua, Reuters reported.

Xi said China has always believed that being “good neighbours, friends and partners” is the right choice for both China and India.

He referred to China and India as the “dragon and the elephant dancing together,” Xinhua said.

Xi said he hoped that both sides would expand exchanges and cooperation and address each other’s concerns to promote healthy and stable relations.

The nuclear-armed Asian neighbours share a 3,800 km (2,400-mile) border that is poorly demarcated and has been disputed since the 1950s.

Ties between the countries were shaken by a 2020 clash in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died in hand-to-hand combat. After that, the Himalayan border was heavily militarised by both sides.

Both countries began improving ties last year after staging a series of high-level bilateral visits.

Direct flights resumed in 2025 as both countries stepped up trade and investment flows against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s combative foreign policy.

Airlines have been rerouting and cancelling some flights across the Middle East as tensions ramp up between Iran and the United States, with President Donald Trump saying on Thursday the U.S. had an “armada” heading towards Iran.

A senior Iranian official said on Friday Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against us”, ahead of the arrival of a U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days.

The European Union’s aviation regulator recommended on January 16 that its airlines stay out of Iran’s airspace as tensions flared over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protests and U.S. threats of intervention.

KLM

Airline KLM will avoid flying over large parts of the Middle East until further notice due to rising tensions there, the Dutch arm of airline group Air France KLM (AIRF.PA), opens new tab said on January 24.

“As a precaution, given the geopolitical situation, KLM will not fly through the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel and will not fly over several countries in the Gulf region,” a KLM spokesperson said.

AIR FRANCE

Air France resumed its service to Dubai on January 24 after suspending it a day before, saying it was following the situation in the Middle East “in real time”.

“Air France continuously monitors the geopolitical situation of the territories served and overflown by its aircraft,” it said in a statement.

LUFTHANSA

Lufthansa said on January 14 it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, and would only operate day flights to Tel Aviv and Amman between January 14 and January 19.

Some flights could be cancelled as a result of these actions, it added in a statement that day.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

British Airways temporarily suspended flights to Bahrain on January 16 as a precautionary measure, saying it “continue(d) to keep the situation in the region under close review”.

Flights to Bahrain were once again available on the BA website on January 24, and a spokesperson for the airline said all its flights were going ahead as scheduled.

FINNAIR

Finnair (FIA1S.HE), opens new tab said in a statement on January 16 it had stopped flying through Iraqi airspace, travelling to Doha and Dubai over Saudi Arabia instead.

The carrier had already been avoiding Iranian, Syrian and Israeli airspace for security reasons.

WIZZ AIR

A Wizz Air (WIZZ.L), opens new tab spokesperson said in January that the company avoided Iraqi and Iranian airspace.

“Therefore some westbound flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports will have to make (refuelling and crew change) stops in Larnaca, Cyprus or Thessaloniki, Greece,” the representative said.