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UK prime minister Boris Johnson will subsequent week meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, the place he’ll reiterate the necessity for democracies to “stick collectively” and purpose to bolster financial and defence co-operation between the UK and India.
Throughout the two day go to, Johnson will maintain talks with Modi in New Delhi specializing in strengthening safety co-operation between India and the UK within the Indo-Pacific area in addition to strategic defence in mild of accelerating Russian aggression.
All through the Ukraine battle, India has maintained a strategically impartial stance on Russia. President Modi has expressed concern over using violence in opposition to civilians comparable to that recorded in Bucha, however India has opted to abstain on important UN votes condemning Russia. Modi even met Russia’s international minister Sergei Lavrov this yr.
India’s stance has been met with frustration by some western allies comparable to US president Joe Biden, who final month accused India of being “considerably shaky” in its response to Russian aggression.
“As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is important that democracies and associates stick collectively,” Johnson mentioned, commenting forward of this go to. “India, as a serious financial energy and the world’s largest democracy, is a extremely valued strategic companion for the UK in these unsure occasions”
He added: “My go to to India will ship on the issues that actually matter to the individuals of each our nations — from job creation and financial development, to power safety and defence.”
As a part of his journey, Johnson may also meet companies in Gujarat the place he’s anticipated to announce additional collaboration between the 2 international locations in areas comparable to well being and know-how and main funding in essential industries throughout the UK and India.
Commerce between India and the UK is value an estimated £23bn every year. Final yr the 2 international locations agreed on a UK-India Complete Strategic Partnership, which the UK authorities mentioned would carry greater than £533mn of funding into the nation from India and would consequence within the creation of greater than 6,500 jobs.
Johnson can be anticipated to make use of the journey to proceed negotiations for a Free Commerce Settlement, which started in January of this yr.
In a press release on Sunday, India’s exterior affairs ministry hailed the international locations’ “historic relationship” and mentioned the leaders would overview progress underneath the strategic partnership, which additionally covers know-how, local weather change, healthcare and defence.
Johnson’s journey comes because the UK authorities goals to refocus efforts within the Indo-Pacific area as a part of its International Britain technique.
The built-in overview, a defence and safety doc revealed in March of final yr, argued that the Indo-Pacific could be of “growing geopolitical and financial significance” within the coming years.
Particularly, the overview highlighted the strategic worth of India and outlined the UK authorities’s intention to strengthen its partnership with the nation throughout areas comparable to defence, commerce and tackling local weather change.
“The UK-India relationship is already sturdy, however over the following ten years we search transformation in our co-operation throughout the total vary of our shared pursuits,” the overview mentioned.
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