Lord Tariq Ahmad, UK Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, arrived in India this week to lead the UK delegation to the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.
The visit is to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, a region of critical importance to our future security and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s priority of growing the UK’s economy, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.
Lord Ahmad said: “Against a backdrop of rising conflict and instability, the UK’s commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific is enduring.
“The UK-India relationship is at the heart of that commitment, which is not just about rhetoric or slogans; it is happening now and is set to improve lives across the UK and the region for years to come.”
Against a backdrop of an increasingly volatile world, the UK minister will highlight the prosperity and security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are inseparable, and that the UK is committed to working with partners to play a constructive leadership role in tackling the long-term drivers of conflict. The UK and its allies are also clear that we will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.
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Following a plenary with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Ahmad will meet key counterparts from the government of India, including Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla to highlight the strong UK-India trade partnership and embrace new opportunities to collaborate, including on energy. They will also discuss progress towards an ambitious trade deal, for which there is strong political will on both sides, FCDO said.
“Strengthening the UK-India relationship is a key pillar of the UK’s long-term foreign policy, as part of its enduring engagement in the Indo-Pacific set out in the Integrated Review Refresh,” it added.
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On the margins of the Raisina Dialogue, he will discuss how to ease the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza with key figures in the Middle East. This follows his travel to the region last week to push an immediate humanitarian pause in fighting.
*Info: Raisina Dialogue
