Jaishankar, UK Foreign Secy Lammy agree to boost cooperation in defence and security

This was Lammy's first official visit to India in his capacity as UK Foreign Secretary.

During the visit, the UK Foreign Secretary called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also met with Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

EAM held bilateral consultations with Lammy. Both ministers reviewed the Roadmap 2030 agreed upon between the Prime Ministers during the India-UK Virtual Summit 2021, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.

The two ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved so far and agreed to look at the renewal of the Roadmap 2030, aiming for a heightened ambition for bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Both sides agreed to finalise the details as per contemporary realities in a time-bound manner to further intensify bilateral collaboration in priority areas of trade and investment, defence and security, migration and mobility, IT/AI/tech-centric areas, S&T, innovation, climate and green energy, the MEA said.

India and UK also agreed to deepen defence and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and to enhance capacities to address growing threats from non-state actors, the release said.

Both sides will also set up a bilateral mechanism led by the Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India and the UK Government for the promotion of critical and emerging technology trade and collaboration, including the resolution of relevant licensing and regulatory issues.

Both sides appreciated the substantial progress made in the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and looked forward to its early conclusion to achieve a mutually beneficial FTA.

Both sides also welcomed the launch of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative (TSI), spearheaded and agreed upon by the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of both countries, to expand collaboration in critical and emerging technologies (CET) across priority sectors including telecom, critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotech, and advanced materials. The collaboration under TSI will include the government, private sector, academia, and R&D institutions.

The release further said that after the launch, a Fact Sheet (https://bit.ly/3WzG3DJ) with a focus on specific technologies and areas of cooperation was also released. The Fact Sheet provides precise guidance to all stakeholders, especially industry and academia, and will guide future collaboration.

They also discussed India-UK collaboration in the field of climate and green economy, agreeing to focus on it and look for areas of mutual cooperation. Both ministers also discussed the migration and mobility partnership between the two countries to strengthen people-to-people ties.

Jaishankar and Lammy also had the opportunity to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the situation in West Asia and the Red Sea, the Commonwealth and the UN Security Council, the release said.

The visit comes within the first month of the formation of a new government in the UK and is reflective of the commitment of both sides to further deepen and diversify the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The UK Foreign Secretary is scheduled to travel from India to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Laos, where he will advance UK economic partnerships and unveil new cooperation on climate and health. (ANI)