India, Jan. 27 -- India and the European Union (EU) can together act as "strong providers of stability, protectability and reliability" on the global stage and protect the rules-based order at a time of growing geo-economic turbulence and unpredictability in trade, European Council President Antonio Costa said on Monday.

Costa, who was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and will participate in the India-EU Summit on Tuesday, said in an exclusive interview with HT that the growing security and defence cooperation between the two sides is crucial for preserving security in the Indo-Pacific and ensuring free and open commerce between the Indo-Pacific and the Atlanti...