UK, India working closely: PM Boris Johnson shares details from recent visit

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday highlighted the “deep relationship” his country shares with India, adding that the two nations continued to work closely on a wide range of issues.

The remarks came mere hours after the British Prime Minister returned to the United Kingdom following a two day visit to Gujarat and New Delhi.

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“The UK and India share a deep relationship and we are working as closely as ever. I am filled with optimism about the years ahead, and the security and prosperity that our partnership can deliver for generations to come,” he tweeted, sharing a video message with visuals from his recently concluded trip.

“We’re working together on clean, green technology, from wind farms to hydrogen. We’ve got a massive agenda on defence and security and of course we want to get our free trade deal, a new UK-India free trade deal done by October, by Diwali,” the PM can be heard saying in the clip.

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During his visit, Johnson had held talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, with the latter dubbing the discussions “wide-ranging and productive”.

The Prime Minister said in tweets that they spoke about the reforms in India and the investment opportunities they bring.

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The two leaders agreed to transform defence and security cooperation as a key element of India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed opportunities for defence collaboration including co-development and co-production for meeting the needs of the armed forces of both the countries.

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Following the visit, India and UK had issued a Joint Statement for further intensifying cooperation on cyber security, particularly in the areas of cyber governance, cyber deterrence and safeguarding critical national infrastructure. They also agreed to closely cooperate on countering the persistent threat of terrorism and radical extremism.

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Speaking about the ongoing war in Ukraine, the British Prime Minister had noted that India has been pushing for peace in Ukraine and wants the Russians out of that country. Johnson also said that Modi has been “very strong” in his reaction to what happened in Bucha in Ukraine and that everyone understands and respects New Delhi’s decades-old historic relationship with Moscow.