Truss to land in New Delhi to discuss closer defence ties with India
Liz Truss will touch down in New Delhi today to speak to her Indian counterpart about strengthening defence ties with the Commonwealth country.
The foreign secretary said in a statement today that deeper ties between India and Britain matter “even more in the context of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and underlines the need for free democracies to work closer together in areas like defence, trade and cyber security”.
Truss will also announce that the UK has agreed to “closer maritime cooperation” with India, after her meeting with external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The trip will likely garner controversy as India was one of several dozen countries to refuse to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations (UN).
India – along with countries such as China, Cuba, Iran and Pakistan – voted to abstain on a resolution to censure Russia.
“Deeper ties between Britain and India will boost security in the Indo-Pacific and globally, and create jobs and opportunities in both countries,” Truss said.
“This matters even more in the context of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and underlines the need for free democracies to work closer together in areas like defence, trade and cyber security.
“India is an economic and tech powerhouse, the world’s largest democracy and a great friend of Britain, and I want to build an even closer relationship between our two nations.”
Truss’ trip comes after India and the UK began formal negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal earlier this year.
A trade deal with Narendra Modi’s government is seen as a huge prize for the UK government, with India set to become an economic powerhouse in the decades to come.
India has not signed a trade deal in many years, however there are signs that Modi is now open to freer trade around the world.