Rishi Sunak joins the India-UK security discussion as a 'special gesture'

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a meeting between British counterpart Tim Barrow and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval at the UKCabinet Office as a "special gesture." During the discussion on Friday, (February 3), Sunak emphasizedthe UK government's support for strengthening strategic alliances in sectors including trade, defence, and science and technology.

On his way back from Washington, where he met his American colleague Jake Sullivan for comparable discussions, Doval stopped in London for an annual bilateral strategic conversation.

“A special gesture by PM Rishi Sunak to join for a while the India-U.K. NSA dialogue between Sir Tim Barrow and Mr. Doval at Cabinet Office,” the Indian High Commission in London and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted late on Saturday, with reference to the meeting.

“Deeply value PM's assurance of his government’s full support to deepen strategic partnership in trade, defence, S&T. Look forward to visiting of Sir Tim to India soon,” it noted.

The controversial BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question," which the Indian government has condemned as biased propaganda, serves as the context for the security discussion.

“We recognise how this portrayal of the Indian government has played out in India. I made it clear that the BBC is independent in its output, that the UKregards India as an incredibly important international partner and that we will be investing heavily in that relationship in the coming decades,” UK. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the House of Commons earlier last week.

In order to strengthen their bilateral ties in all areas, including defence and security, India and the UK have agreed on a 2030 Roadmap.

Six rounds of negotiations have taken place for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two parties, and a seventh-round is anticipated to take place in Britain in the coming weeks.

Official UKgovernment figures indicate that bilateral commerce now amounts to about 29.6 billion pounds annually, a figure that both parties hope to increase through an FTA.

(With inputs from agencies)

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