Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting British counterpart Boris Johnson on Friday held extensive talks.
- In his remarks, Johnson described the ties between India and Britain as “one of defining friendships of our times”. Today, we have agreed on a new and expanded defence and security partnership, he said.
- Johnson said the UK is creating India-specific open general export licensing to reduce delivery times for defence procurement. We are telling our negotiators to get it done by Diwali in October, he said on the FTA.
- PM Modi and Boris Johnson also discussed the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. On the Ukraine crisis, Modi emphasised dialogue and diplomacy to address the problem and called for an immediate ceasefire.
- PM Modi said both sides emphasised a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific while reiterating the need for respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries.
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.
At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year-roadmap to expand ties in key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change, and people-to-people connections among others.
(With agency inputs)