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Recently, India and the UK have adopted an ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ during the virtual bilateral summit between the Prime Minister of India and his British counterpart.
- The UK and India share many fundamental values since the UK is one of the oldest democracies and India is the world’s largest democracy. Both are committed members of the Commonwealth.
About the Roadmap
- It will elevate bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and will provide a framework for UK-India relations across health, climate, trade, education, science and technology and defence.
- Health
- It will expand the UK-India health partnership to enhance global health security and pandemic resilience.
- This includes firming up international supply chains to ensure critical medicines, vaccines and other medical products reach those who need them most.
- Both discussed the Covid-19 situation and ongoing cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, including the successful partnership on vaccines.
- Both agreed to expand and enhance the existing UK-India vaccines partnership.
- It will expand the UK-India health partnership to enhance global health security and pandemic resilience.
- Climate
- Agreement on working together to ensure an ambitious outcome at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and expand the UK-India partnership on tackling climate change.
- It will include accelerating the development of clean energy and transport and new technology, protecting nature and biodiversity and helping developing countries adapt to the impact of climate change.
- Agreement on working together to ensure an ambitious outcome at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and expand the UK-India partnership on tackling climate change.
- Trade
- They launched Enhanced Trade Partnership and announced their intent to negotiate a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
- It will include consideration of an interim trade agreement to deliver early gains with an ambitious target of more than doubling India-UK trade by 2030.
- They launched Enhanced Trade Partnership and announced their intent to negotiate a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
- Education
- India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) will facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.
- It is aimed at reducing illegal immigration into the UK and will make it easier for British and Indian nationals to live and work in each other’s countries
- India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) will facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.
- Science and Technology
- Both announced a new India-UK Global Innovation Partnership which aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa.
- The UK is India’s second largest partner in research and innovation collaborations.
- Intentions to cooperate in the fields of Digital Technology and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
- Both announced a new India-UK Global Innovation Partnership which aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa.
- Defence
- The UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit India later in 2021 to boost this work with navies and air forces undertaking joint training exercises to enable future cooperation on operations in the Western Indian Ocean.
- They reaffirmed the benefits of closer cooperation in a free and open Indo-Pacific, recognising their shared interest in regional prosperity and stability.
- They agreed to significant new cooperation on Maritime Domain Awareness, which includes new agreements on maritime information sharing.
- It was an invitation to the UK to join India’s Information Fusion Centre in Gurgaon.
- The two countries are also working to conclude a Logistics Memorandum of Understanding that will enhance joint ability to tackle shared challenges.
- Both agreed to work closely together in support of India’s indigenous development of the Light Combat Aircraft Mark 2.
- Other Areas of Cooperation
- They also discussed the potential for further industrial collaboration in areas such as maritime propulsion, space and cyber, etc.
- The two sides also decided to cooperate in the areas of counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, UN Security Council reforms among other things.
- The leaders also discussed economic offenders and the issue of extradition of fugitives Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.
- Both highlighted the need for peaceful negotiation in Afghanistan between the Government and the Taliban and agreed to work together to ensure permanent and comprehensive ceasefire leading to sustainable peace.
Source: IE
