NEW DELHI: India-UK ties contribute to stability and prosperity in an uncertain and volatile world, said foreign minister S Jaishankar after “wide-ranging and productive” talks with his counterpart David Lammy during which they discussed major regional and global issues including the Ukraine conflict, West Asia situation and also developments in Bangladesh and the Commonwealth.
Before his meeting with Lammy, Jaishankar had also called on UK PM Keir Starmer and held talks with UK’s home and trade secretaries, Yvette Cooper and Jonathan Reynolds respectively, focusing on issues like extremism and the ongoing FTA talks.
“We discussed the entire gamut of bilateral ties, especially our focus on strategic coordination, political cooperation, trade deal negotiation, education, technology, mobility and people-to-people exchanges. Agreed to formulate the next steps to further strengthen and structure them.
“We exchanged views on regional and global issues including the Ukraine conflict, West Asia, Bangladesh and the Commonwealth,” he said. In his meeting with Starmer, Jaishankar had discussed taking forward bilateral, economic ties and enhancing people to people exchanges.
Starmer also shared the UK’s perspective on the Ukraine conflict in the meeting. The UK PM this week proposed a four-step plan that included development of a “coalition of the willing” in Europe to guarantee peace for Ukraine. He also committed to “boots on the ground, and planes in the air”, saying Europe must do the heavy lifting. India, however, has continued to maintain that enduring peace is possible only through dialogue and diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine.
For India, Bangladesh continues to pose a big challenge because of increasing radicalisation and the threat to regional stability. Jaishankar has remained in touch with Lammy about developments in Dhaka right from the time Hasina was deposed.