India-EU summit deferred due to COVID-19 outbreak

India's foreign ministry Thursday said the India-European Union (EU) summit which was scheduled to be held later this month has been deferred in wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"With regard to the proposed India-EU summit, both sides have agreed that due to health authorities advising against the travel between regions, it would be wise to reschedule the summit to a later mutually convenient date," India's foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told media during a briefing. "The decision has been taken in the spirit of the close cooperation between India and the EU who share the same concerns and commitment to global health and hope that the outbreak is contained soon."

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to travel to Brussels to attend the India-EU summit.