India and the UK launched a new technology security initiative expected to boost economic growth and deepen collaboration, the two countries announced during the first official visit to India by British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy.
According to the agreement, which was announced late on Wednesday, the two sides would work together on crucial technologies, from critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI) to semiconductors and telecoms.
It would also strengthen cooperation on issues such as climate, trade, technology and education, a statement released by Lammy’s office said.
Photo: AP
“This will mean real action together on the challenges of the future from AI to critical minerals,” Lammy said. “Together we can unlock mutual growth, boost innovation, jobs and investment.”
In talks with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the two also agreed to boost defense and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and discussed global issues including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a statement from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Lammy said his trip to India reflects one of the new British government’s top foreign policy priorities: a reset with Europe on climate and with the global south.
Britain’s new Labour Party government, which swept the polls in the July 4 election, said it wants to “reset and relaunch” UK-India relations, particularly by restarting formal talks that began in 2022 on a free-trade agreement hailed by then-British prime minister Boris Johnson as a key goal after Britain’s departure from the EU in 2020.
Lammy also met with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said he welcomed the new technology security initiative.
Modi also wrote on X that India was looking forward to settling on a free-trade agreement.
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