New Delhi: India and UK on Tuesday adopted an ambitious India-UK Roadmap to 2030 to steer cooperation for the next ten years.
During a virtual bilateral summit, Prime Minister Modi and British PM Boris Johnson emphasized that enhanced India-UK bilateral cooperation can not only reap mutual benefits but also be a global force for good to revive lives and livelihoods, promote peace and prosperity around the world and protect and preserve the planet for future generations.
According to the joint statement issued by MEA after the meeting, the two Prime Ministers agreed on a common vision of a new and transformational Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UK, underpinned by their shared commitment to democracy, fundamental freedoms, multilateralism and rule-based international order.
"As the world continues to face severe new waves of COVID-19 infections, both leaders acknowledged the difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic globally. They offered their deepest condolences for the loss of lives and expressed the deepest sympathy with the families of the victims of this pandemic in India, the UK and the rest of the world", it added.
Prime Minister Modi went on to thank Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the prompt assistance provided by the UK in the form of critical medical equipment for ameliorating the current situation in India. Both Leaders emphasized that global cooperation and solidarity are key to fighting the pandemic and achieving sustainable and inclusive recovery.
They further agreed to expand and enhance the existing UK-India vaccines partnership, highlighting the successful collaboration between Oxford University, Astra Zeneca and the Serum Institute of India on an effective Covid19 vaccine that is 'developed in the UK', 'Made in India' and 'distributed globally'. They emphasized that the international community should learn lessons and agreed to work together to reform and strengthen WHO and the global health security architecture to strengthen pandemic resilience, the MEA said in a statement.
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It is worth noting that both leaders welcomed the launch of the Enhanced Trade Partnership and announced their intent to negotiate a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement to unlock the full potential of their trade and commercial relationship, boosting jobs, investment and exports, including consideration of an Interim Trade Agreement to deliver early gains.
They agreed to continue removing trade barriers on the path to an FTA, and an ambitious target of more than doubling India-UK trade by 2030.
They welcomed the gains made by their joint investment programmes and the signing of an India-UK MoU on the Global Innovation Partnership to support the transfer of inclusive innovations from India to selected developing countries.
MEA said that both the leaders recognized the importance of securing reliable and sustainable supply chains that are resilient to major disruptions like the current pandemic and agreed to support the diversification of global supply chains.
