India, UK discuss Afghanistan, regional issues; agrees to strengthen cooperation in Indo-Pacific

New Delhi, October 23: With an aim to strengthen its ties with its 'Great Friend' India, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss held extensive talks on key bilateral and regional issues with External Minister S Jaishankar.

 

During the meeting, Truss and Jaishankar also discussed some issues including regional and international issues of mutual interest. They also mutually agreed to strengthen cooperation in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific, on countering terrorism and radical extremism and addressing emerging challenges in the cyber and space domains.

 

Moreover, they also agreed to further institute the India-UK Strategic Futures Forum Track, a new 1.5 Dialogue mechanism to foster expert deliberations on long-term strategic links between them.

 

Besides, they also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and stressed the need for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Furthermore, they also emphasised the need to ensure that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists.

 

 

 

They also underlined the need for launching FTA negotiations at the earliest, with a focus on negotiating an interim agreement that can deliver quick gains to businesses in both India and the UK, the MEA said.

 

Both Ministers undertook a detailed review of the Roadmap 2030 launched during the India-UK Virtual Summit held on May 4, 2021. Asserting that India and the UK can do so much more in areas like sharing our expertise on the environment ahead of the COP26 summit, Truss said, "we are delighted the Prime Minister will be there."

 

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, between October 31 and November 12, 2021. Truss who is on her two days visit to India also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav here.

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