Boris Johnson: “I don’t think things (ties) have ever been as good.” Message to PM

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, arrived in Gujarat on Thursday to begin a two-day visit to India. He is meeting with Prime Minister Modi as the UK seeks to expand its defence production footprint in India and forge new partnerships in clean and renewable energy.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a “fantastic welcome” and said his visit to India is a “very auspicious moment” for both countries because relations between the two countries have never been better than they are now.” I’ve never witnessed such a joyful welcome. I don’t think I’d be able to get that anywhere in the world “he stated The British Prime Minister is in India for a two-day visit to discuss the strategic defence, diplomatic, and economic partnership between the UK and India, with the goal of bolstering close ties and enhancing security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Mr Johnson is expected to talk about next-generation defence and security collaboration across the five domains – land, sea, air, space, and cyber – as the two countries face “complex new threats,” according to a UK press release.

“The United Kingdom will collaborate with India to improve security in the Indo-Pacific, including new fighter jet technology, helicopters, and undersea battlespace collaboration. PM will also discuss new opportunities for clean and renewable energy collaboration “According to a press release from the British High Commission, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will also meet with UK Prime Minister David Cameron. At around 1 p.m., the two sides will issue a joint statement at Hyderabad House.

The British High Commission said in a statement that during Boris Johnson’s visit, UK and Indian businesses will confirm more than 1 billion pounds in new investments and export deals today in areas ranging from software engineering to health, creating nearly 11,000 jobs across the UK.

“The UK and India are launching a virtual Hydrogen Science and Innovation hub to accelerate affordable green hydrogen, as well as new funding for the Green Grids Initiative announced at COP26, and collaboration on joint work on the electrification of public transportation across India,” according to a UK statement.

According to a statement released by the British High Commission, Prime Minister Johnson will use his visit to push forward with the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, which began earlier this year. A deal with India is expected to boost UK total trade by up to 28 billion pounds annually by 2035, while also increasing incomes by up to 3 billion pounds.
Prime Minister Johnson and Prime Minister Modi signed a UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year, pledging over 530 million pounds in investment and committing to a deeper bilateral relationship in trade, health, climate, defence, and security, as well as connecting our people.

In the 2021 Integrated Review, India was also identified as a priority relationship for the UK, and it was invited as a guest to last year’s G7 in Carbis Bay.

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