New Delhi: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has cut short the length of his India tour due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, will now visit New Delhi from April 25. Johnson is slated to agree on Roadmap 2030 for strengthening India-UK relations as Britain seeks allies to retain its influence post-Brexit . Johnson is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which he will look for mobilizing partnership with India across various sectors, including defence and security.
On being asked about the significance of the British Prime Minister's India visit, former diplomat G Parthasarathy told ETV Bharat, "Johnson’s visit at such a crucial time -- when both India and the UK are facing issues in dealing with the pandemic -- signifies the importance PM Modi attaches to relations with the UK and the UK's Conservative Party attaches to ties with India. The Labour Party has been anything but friendly”.
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"It is almost certain that as France is expanding its presence in the Indo-Pacific, Britain will push for expanding its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Therefore, it is going to be a closer economic relationship and the visit is significant in the sense that since we already have the ‘Quad’. An important power joining us will give more strength to India’s security framework in Asia," he said.
"Just as France is eyeing for joining the Indo-Pacific, Britain is following suit. This is good for India. More global powers are seeking to partner with the Quad, so is Britain," he said.
"Britain is highly polarized. The UK’s Labour Party is pro-Pakistani and pro-Khalistani whereas the Conservative Party is very friendly with India, because it is business-inclined. So for India, UK is a friendly option," Parthasarathy said.
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Johnson’s trip to India is expected to boost the India-UK relations in various sectors, including trade, investments, healthcare, climate change, Indo-Pacific and security. According to the High Commission of India in London, the British Prime Minister will focus on high-level discussions on regional and international issues with the Indian government and the business leaders.
"India-UK relations depend on how both the countries expand it economically because the economic content has been very low for all these years. We are talking about replacing China, but do we have a strategy for it? Unless countries strategize business together and see how they can expand trade and investment, all these will remain just a talk and show," Parthasarathy pointed out.
In January, Johnson had cancelled his India visit in wake of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
