On Monday, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi met with his British counterpart Boris Johnson in Glasgow on the sidelines of the COP26 World Leaders’ Summit during his two-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK)
According to a release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the meeting kicked off with PM Modi congratulating the British PM for successfully organising the COP26 summit. As per the statement published by the British government, the leaders also celebrated the opportunity to meet in person, describing it as an indication of the flourishing India-UK partnership.
British PM Johnson applauded India’s climate action strategy and agreed to collaborate on this front as part of a global effort to combat climate change. Modi, meanwhile, applauded Johnson for his “personal leadership in championing global action for climate change mitigation and adaptation.” In this regard, he welcomed India-UK cooperation in climate finance, technology, innovation and adaptation, green hydrogen, renewables and clean technologies. He also highlighted the importance of initiatives like the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
During the meeting, which was conducted in the run-up to the COP26 Summit, Johnson said that he wishes to see an ambitious plan by India during the multilateral meet, arguing that doing so would help cement India’s rise as a “key player” and support the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The pair also conducted a review of the implementation of the Roadmap 2030, focussing on trade and economy, people-to-people relations, health, defence, and security, and touched on the possibility of signing a free trade agreement. The 2030 Roadmap was agreed upon by the two leaders during a virtual conference in May with the aim of doubling trade between the two countries by 2030. At the time, they also announced the establishment of an “Enhanced Trade Partnership” to “remove barriers to trade” and mark a step towards a prospective trade deal between the two countries.
Apart from these issues of bilateral concern, Modi and Johnson also discussed several regional and global challenges, including the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the state of unrest in the Indo-Pacific, the need to combat terrorism, the importance of strengthening supply-chain resilience, and working towards post-pandemic economic recovery.
India and the UK have in recent times greatly enhanced their security and trade cooperation. In fact, just last month, they participated in the second chapter of their Multilateral Dialogue in London and their inaugural Maritime Dialogue.
India, UK Pledge to Collaborate on Green Technology
At a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson agreed to collaborate on climate action.
November 2, 2021
UK PM Boris Johnson (L) and Indian PM Narendra Modi SOURCE: FINANCIAL TIMES