Modi-Johnson digital summit: India, UK undertake Roadmap 2030 to strengthen bilateral ties

INDIA AND the UK on Tuesday adopted an bold ‘Roadmap 2030’ through the digital bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson that may elevate bilateral ties to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
The two leaders mentioned the Covid-19 state of affairs and ongoing cooperation within the battle towards the pandemic, together with the profitable partnership on vaccines. Modi thanked Johnson for the immediate medical help offered by the UK within the wake of the extreme second wave of Covid-19 in India.
They additionally launched Enhanced Trade Partnership, and introduced their intent to barter a complete Free Trade Agreement (FTA), together with consideration of an interim commerce settlement to ship early positive factors. “They agreed to continue removing trade barriers on the path to an FTA, and an ambitious target of more than doubling India-UK trade by 2030,” a joint assertion stated.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen defence partnership, specializing in maritime and industrial collaboration. They additionally reaffirmed the advantages of nearer cooperation in a free and open Indo-Pacific, recognising their shared curiosity in regional prosperity and stability.
They agreed to important new cooperation on Maritime Domain Awareness, which incorporates new agreements on maritime info sharing, an invite to the UK to hitch India’s Information Fusion Centre in Gurgaon and an bold train programme which incorporates joint trilateral workouts.
The two nations are additionally working to conclude a Logistics Memorandum of Understanding that may improve joint capability to deal with shared challenges, the assertion stated.
In addition to commitments on the Indo-Pacific, the 2 nations agreed to construct on current government-to-government collaboration on India’s future fight air engine requirement.
As a part of the ‘Roadmap 2030’, they agreed to work intently collectively in assist of India’s indigenous growth of the Light Combat Aircraft Mark 2. They additionally mentioned the potential for additional industrial collaboration in areas equivalent to maritime propulsion, house and cyber, marking the beginning of a promising new period of UK-India analysis, functionality and industrial collaboration on Indian fight air and past.
Johnson stated, “The UK and India share many fundamental values. The UK is one of the oldest democracies, and India is the world’s largest. We are both committed members of the Commonwealth. And there is a living bridge uniting the people of our countries.”
“In the last week, the British people have stepped up in their thousands to support our Indian friends during this terrible time in a demonstration of the deep connection between the UK and India,” he stated. “This connection will only grow over the next decade as we do more together to tackle the world’s biggest problems and make life better for our people. The agreements we have made today mark the beginning of a new era in the UK-India relationship.”
Modi tweeted, “Had a productive Virtual Summit with my friend UK PM @BorisJohnson. We adopted an ambitious Roadmap 2030 for elevating India-UK ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
The ‘Roadmap 2030’ will present a framework for UK-India relations throughout well being, local weather, commerce, schooling, science and know-how, and defence. This will increase the UK-India well being partnership to reinforce world well being safety and pandemic resilience. This consists of firming up worldwide provide chains to make sure vital medicines, vaccines and different medical merchandise attain those that want them most, an announcement stated.
The two nations agreed to work collectively to make sure an bold end result at COP26 and increase the UK-India partnership on tackling local weather change, together with by accelerating the event of unpolluted vitality and transport and new know-how, defending nature and biodiversity and serving to growing nations adapt to the influence of local weather change.
“They will also cooperate closely to tackle threats to our shared security in all their forms. The UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit India later this year to boost this work with our navies and air forces undertaking joint training exercises to enable future cooperation on operations in the Western Indian Ocean,” the joint assertion stated.
They may also improve our migration relationship, to make it simpler for British and Indian nationals to reside and work in one another’s nations,” the assertion stated.