NEW DELHI: Ongoing farmer protests outside the national capital were debated between the visiting UK Foreign Secretary. Dominic raab and Chancellor S. Jaishankar. The UK drew a clear line between agricultural reforms as an internal Indian affair and the politics of farmers’ protests that resonate in British domestic politics.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Raab said the issue had not come up in his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I discussed the situation with Chancellor Jaishankar. Obviously, we respect the fact that the reforms your system is going through here are internal reforms, (which) have sparked protests. His policy is, in a sense, due to the Indian diaspora in Brittany, our politic. I believe that India, in addition to having a market-driven economy, also has a vibrant heritage of peaceful protests and vigorous debate. ”
With the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris johnson Arriving in India as the main guest for the Republic Day celebrations, Raab indicated that the UK was embarking on its own “spin” with the “Indo-Pacific” as the new binding factor between India and the UK, already that both countries work to reestablish their strategic relationship in a publication. -Brexit, post-Covid world.
“Strategically in terms of shared values, in terms of concrete interest, we seek the Indo-Pacific, (where) India is clearly a partner and a friend, ”Raab said.
After his meeting with the prime minister, Raab announced that British and Indian experts would come together through a new virtual vaccine center “to deliver vaccines against coronavirus and other deadly viruses.” An official reading said that the new vaccine center would share best practices for regulation and clinical trials, and encourage innovation.
“We are looking at all the things we can do together on trade, maritime cooperation, climate change cooperation and a roadmap in the months and weeks to come. … India will be one of the main strategic partners of choice. ”Raab said, acknowledging that China provided the strategic context for the UK’s“ tilt ”towards the Indo-Pacific.
India, he said, has been invited to the G-7 next year, as well as to COP-26. India and the UK are working on a trade deal with India, just as they have with Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Raab spoke about the 10-year “road map” that provides for a free trade agreement.
Raab was quoted as saying: “This partnership between the Serum Institute and the University of Oxford demonstrates the best of the UK-India relationship – a vaccine developed in the UK and manufactured in India.”
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