After talks with his “khas dost” Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House here on Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that India’s position on Russia is well-known and it is not going to change. He also said that India has a historic relationship with Russia and everybody respects it.
These two statements from the visiting British Premier Johnson gave sufficient impression about how convinced he was after PM Modi’s “meaningful and logical” explanation about India’s stand on the Ukraine situation.
What Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla later told reporters confirmed it further as well. Shringla said: “The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. The Prime Minister expressed deep concern over the ongoing situation and mounting humanitarian crisis. Prime Minister (Modi) reiterated his call for immediate cessation of violence and conveyed strong advocacy for peaceful resolution of the situation, and direct dialogue between the two parties.”
PM Modi put forward India’s perspective on the Ukraine issue and asserted that “we are on the side of peace”, wanting that there should be dialogue and diplomacy, and the conflict should be resolved soon, he said.
Johnson appreciated India’s stand on the Bucha massacre, saying, “You have to recognize that India came out strongly against what happened in Bucha.” “PM Modi has intervened with Russian President Putin to ask what on earth he is doing,” said Johnson, signalling his satisfaction over the fact the Indian Premier spoke to Ukrainian and Russia Presidents time and again, urging both of them to hold direct talks to end the violence.
In what was a signal to China, PM Modi and his British counterpart during the meeting laid emphasis on the need for a free, open and rule-based Indo-Pacific region with both sides agreeing to combat threats on air, space and maritime. In a message to Pakistan as well, both leaders expressed zero tolerance for terrorism and for all those “who encourage, support and finance terrorism or provide sanctuary to terror groups or terrorists”.
Making a strong pitch for halting cross-border movement of terrorists, PM Modi and Johnson condemned the Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks, emphasising the importance of the perpetrators of these attacks being expeditiously brought to justice.
The British PM began his two-day India visit from Gujarat, PM Modi’s home state, on Thursday. Significantly, the two countries signed a new defence cooperation agreement and will look to complete a free trade deal by the end of the year. “We reviewed progress made in implementation of ‘Roadmap 2030’ and also set some goals for the future,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi reiterated India’s support for an inclusive government in Afghanistan. “We reiterated our support for a peaceful, stable, and secure Afghanistan and for an inclusive and representative Government. It is necessary that Afghan land should not be used to spread terrorism in other countries,” PM Modi said in the joint statement. “We stressed dialogue and diplomacy in Ukraine for an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the problem. We also reiterated the importance of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries,” PM Modi said.
In what was seen as a significant development amid the geopolitical turmoil, PMs Modi and Johnson agreed on a new and expanded India-UK defence partnership during their meeting. Johnson discussed next generation defence and security collaboration with PM Modi including support for building indigenous fighter jets. Sources see it as the UK’s efforts to help India reduce dependency on Russia for defence supplies. “It is in this context that Boris seems to have made up his mind to help India build its own fighter jets,” say officials.
Johnson said that the relationship between the two countries is stronger than ever.
Meanwhile, two Government-to-Government MoUs and four non-governmental MoUs were exchanged during the official visit of Johnson to India. PM Modi and UK PM Boris Johnson held discussions on the ongoing FTA negotiations. Both sides agreed to the cooperation on energy, green hydrogen, trade, and defence. Both leaders discussed a wide range of issues, trade, and job opportunities. Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space, and other technologies were also discussed.
Johnson called PM Modi his “khas dost”, saying that India and the United Kingdom are on path to sign a free-trade agreement by Diwali this year. PM Modi, meanwhile, said that they had agreed to deepen cooperation in defence, including manufacture, technology, design and development, and in all these cases, welcomed UK’s support to India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” plan.
The British government also said that “To support greater defence and security collaboration with India over the coming decade, London would issue an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) to New Delhi, reducing bureaucracy and shortening delivery times for defence procurement”. “This is our first OGEL in the Indo-Pacific region,” Johnson said.
The two countries also discussed new cooperation on clean and renewable energy, aimed at supporting India’s energy transition away from imported oil, increasing its resilience through secure and sustainable energy, and addressing climate change in both the countries.
The India-UK joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs after talks between PM Modi and the British Premier highlights several issues from trade, regional and global issues to defence cooperation.
The joint statement says, “Both leaders expressed zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms—and for all those who encourage, support and finance terrorism or provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups—whatever their motivation may be. They called upon all countries to work together to root out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupt terrorist networks and their financing channels, and halt cross-border movement of terrorists. They reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks in India and the UK, including the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. They emphasised the importance of perpetrators of terrorist attacks being systematically and expeditiously brought to justice, and agreed to work together to take concerted action against globally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals.”
On the Ukraine issue, the joint statement says, “The leaders expressed in strongest terms their concern about the ongoing conflict and humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
They unequivocally condemned civilian deaths, and reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the conflict, which was having severe implications across the globe, in particular for developing countries. They emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. They reaffirmed their willingness to provide humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine.”