India is strengthening its relationship with Europe and both sides can bring more stability into the international economy and global politics, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. His remarks, after holding talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris, came in the face of a factitious geopolitical environment, including global concerns over the way the United States has carried out a military operation in Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro. The external affairs minister said Europe is an important player in global politics and it is necessary that India strengthens its relationship with it. "I think it was a very conscious choice. It was a choice which reflected our belief that this relationship with Europe is really poised to grow, grow to the next level," Jaishankar said at a media briefing when asked why he was in Europe. The comments also came amid New Delhi's frosty ties with the US after President Donald Trump slapped a whoppin