UK Foreign Minister says Britain and India must deepen defence and economic ties
October 22, 2021, 5:17 am

UK Foreign Minister says Britain and India must deepen defence and economic ties

Liz Truss-Foreign Minister/Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office official Facebook page

Britain and India must step up their economic and security ties, Foreign Minister Liz Truss said ahead of a visit to Delhi where she will announce a green tech investment and pitch her vision of Britain's new role in the world to senior Indian ministers.

The Straitstimes reported according to Reuters, Ms Truss, who was appointed as foreign secretary last month, has also held meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of her post-Brexit push to build new diplomatic and defence alliances around the world.

The report said, she will meet Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in Delhi, and announce a US$70 million (S$94 million) investment to fund green tech infrastructure projects across India.

Ms Truss said in a statement ahead of the visit: "I want the UK and India and to step-up their partnership in critical areas like technology, investment, security and defence."

She said: "India is the world's largest democracy, a tech and economic powerhouse and a vital strategic partner for the UK."

Mr Yadav told Reuters on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to Britain next month for the COP26 United Nations climate summit.

Britain has identified greater influence in the Indo-Pacific region as its primary foreign policy aim, eyeing both the economic benefits of the rapidly expanding middle classes there and a means to challenge China's ambitions in the region.

In an effort to underline Britain's military commitment to security in the region, Ms Truss will also visit a British aircraft carrier group, currently in Mumbai, having earlier this year passed through seas in which China is vying for influence.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to cancel a planned visit to India this year due to surging Covid-19 cases there, but the two leaders met virtually to agree a roadmap for deeper cooperation. They are also in early stage trade talks.

Source: straitstimes

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.