UK, India to strengthen collaboration in science and technology
London, May 27 (EFE).- British Minister of State for South Asia, Tariq Ahmad, begins a five-day visit to India on Saturday to strengthen cooperation in science, research and innovation, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.
Ahmad, also responsible for the Middle East and the United Nations and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, will be in the subcontinent until May 31, where he will visit historic sites and meet with several officials.
“The UK and India (former British colony) are trusted partners united by the unique living bridge that closely connects our countries and people,” Ahmad said.
He underlined that the visit will deepen the 2030 Roadmap, signed by both governments in April and that lays the foundations of their future relationship.
According to the statement, the British lord will meet with Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.
He will also visit historical cultural centers and high-tech research facilities in Jodhpur, New Delhi and Hyderabad, it added.
Strengthening the relationship with India is a key pillar of the UK’s long-term foreign policy, following its 2020 exit from the European Union.
According to the statement, both countries “continue to make progress” toward a free trade agreement that will boost their current trade relationship, worth 36 billion pounds ($44.5 billion euros) in 2022. EFE
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