Explained: UK PM Boris Johnson's 2022 Visit To India
The UK¡¯s inclination towards India has a unique significance post-Brexit. This significance is at the core of the British Prime Minister¡¯s visit to India.
The UK¡¯s inclination towards India has a unique significance post-Brexit. This significance is at the core of the British Prime Minister¡¯s visit to India.
PM Boris Johnson¡¯s two-day visit started from Ahmedabad as he explored the Indian Prime Minister¡¯s home state on the first day.
On the second day, he was given a ceremonial welcome in Rashtrapati Bhavan where he met PM Narendra Modi and later was followed by bilateral talks in Hyderabad House.
AP
The two Prime Ministers expressed their gratitude for the progress made on the Roadmap 2030, which was announced at the Virtual Summit in May 2021, and reaffirmed their determination to pursue a more robust and action-oriented cooperation across the whole spectrum of bilateral ties.
They praised the progress made in current FTA negotiations and the Enhanced Trade Partnership's implementation, and they committed to reach an agreement on a complete and balanced trade deal by the end of October 2022. The FTA would open the path for bilateral trade to double by 2030.
AP
Both sides published a joint statement calling for increased cyber security cooperation, notably in the areas of cyber governance, cyber deterrence, and protecting important national infrastructure.
They also pledged to work together closely to combat the ongoing menace of terrorism and extreme extremism as they expressed zero tolerance for terrorism in all its form.
The two discussed regional and global topics of mutual concern, including Indo-Pacific cooperation, Afghanistan, the UN Security Council, the G20, and the Commonwealth. India commended the United Kingdom's participation in the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative's (IPOI) Maritime Security pillar and committed to strengthen bilateral ties in the Indo-Pacific area. For the UK, this comes in addition to ties with Japan and Australia in the Pacific Ocean.
AP
During the visit, two memorandums of understanding (MoU) were exchanged on the implementation of the India-UK Global Innovation Partnership and the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP).
The two Prime Ministers also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. Despite their differences they found a common ground of humanitarian loss and expressed desire for the need for cessation of violence by resorting to diplomatic talks.
In the end, Prime Minister Johnson extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit the United Kingdom once more. The invitation was accepted by Prime Minister Modi.
The visit came at a crucial time for both the leaders. For the UK, PM Boris Johnson is caught up in the ¡®Partygate¡¯ scandal that threatens his position, and for India, the past couple of weeks has been a festival of diplomacy with the latest visitor after Johnson being the European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen who was also the chief guest for the inaugural session of the 7th edition of the Raisina Dialogue held this Sunday.
References:
¡°Joint Statement on the Visit of the Prime Minister of UK to India: Towards shared security and prosperity through national resilience.¡± Ministry of External Affairs, 22 April 2022. Accessed 27 April 2022.
Singh, Gurjit. ¡°Boris Johnson's visit creates right atmosphere, but momentum needs to be sustained.¡± Firstpost, 25 April 2022. Accessed 27 April 2022.
¡°Two-Day India Visit Was A Reprieve For Boris Johnson From Political Problems At Home.¡± Outlook India, 24 April 2022. Accessed 27 April 2022.
¡°Visit of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to India (April 21-22, 2022).¡± Ministry of External Affairs, 22 April 2022. Accessed 27 April 2022.