UK and India reach agreement on defense and security partnership

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands in New Delhi on April 22, 2022. afp_tickers

This content was published on Apr 22, 2022 – 10:04

(AFP)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in New Delhi on Friday that Britain and India had forged a “new and expanded” defense and security partnership.

Johnson said the new partnership is a “multi-decade commitment”, praising the relationship that unites “one of the oldest democracies, with India, certainly the largest”.

His visit comes as he faces criticism from Conservative MPs and the prospect of an investigation into whether he lied to MPs as part of the “Partygate”, the multi-party scandal staged in Downing Street while in custody. pandemic.

“Threats of authoritarian coercion have increased, so it is imperative that we strengthen our cooperation,” Johnson said alongside his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

He said the two countries had “a common interest in keeping the Indo-Pacific region open and free”.

India is part of the “Quartet”, along with the United States, Japan and Australia, which is considered a bulwark against China.

But the South Asian giant also has a long history of cooperation with Russia, its largest military supplier, and has refused to publicly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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