PM Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Friday agreed on a new and expanded India-UK defence partnership and vowed to seal an ambitious free trade agreement by the end of the year.
UK Prime Minister Borish Johnson met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Friday. Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Boris Johnson expressed his excitement to meet the former in New Delhi on Friday. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Looking forward to meeting with my friend @NarendraModi today in New Delhi. From climate change to energy security to defence, the partnership of our democracies is vital as the world faces growing threats from autocratic states."
In a subsequent tweet, he also talked about his recent visit to Gujarat on Thursday: "It’s been a real pleasure to be in Gujarat today to see the fruits of the incredible partnership between the UK and our friends in India. Today we have confirmed more than £1 billion in new investments between our two great countries, creating almost 11,000 new jobs in the UK."
1. Threats Discussed: The British prime minister said both sides agreed to work together to meet new threats across land, sea, air space and cyber domains and that the UK will partner with India on new fighter jet technology as well as in the maritime sphere to detect and respond to threats in the oceans.
2. Free Trade Agreements: Referring to the free trade agreement (FTA), Johnson said he wanted negotiators from both sides to close the deal before Diwali in October. In his comments, Modi said, "good progress" is being made in the negotiations for the FTA and that both sides have decided to do their best to close the pact by the end of this year." In the last few months, India has concluded Free Trade Agreements with UAE and Australia. At the same pace, with the same commitment, we would like to move forward on the FTA with the UK as well," Modi said.
3. Ukraine Crisis: On the Ukraine crisis, Modi stressed an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the problem through dialogue and diplomacy. "We also reiterated the importance of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries," he said. Modi and Boris Johnson agreed that "Russia needed to adhere to the UN Charter" and maintained that "Ukraine’s integrity and territorial sovereignty must be respected." According to media reports, Johnson said, "What Indians want is peace and they want Russia out. And I totally agree. And I think there is a difference in balance as India has a historic relationship with Russia that everybody understands and respects that goes back decades."
4. Indo-Pacific: Talking about the Indo-Pacific, Modi emphasised on maintaining a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the region and noted that India welcomed the UK's decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
5. Terrorism: "We reiterated our support for a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan and for an inclusive and representative government. It is necessary that Afghan territory is not used to spread terrorism in other countries," PM Modi said.
6. Partnership with UK: Johnson described the talks as wonderful and said the partnership between the UK and India is one of the "defining friendships of our time".
7. Cooperation: Noting that "threats of autocratic coercion" are growing, the British prime minister said it is vital that both India and the UK further deepen their cooperation.
8. Education: "Today, we are announcing new measures to make it easier to export UK-made medical devices to India and ensure mutual recognition of UK higher education qualification," British PM said.
9. Energy: In the talks, the two prime ministers also discussed new cooperation on clean and renewable energy. Johnson said it was aimed at supporting India's energy transition from imported oil and increasing its resilience through secure and sustainable energy. The two sides also launched a virtual Hydrogen Science and Innovation hub to accelerate affordable green hydrogen and unveiled plans in sync with the Green Grids Initiative announced at COP26.
10. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Modi and Johnson in May last year.
After his meeting concluded with Modi, Boris Johnson tweeted to emphasize the friendship between the two countries.
(With inputs from PTI)