LONDON: Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, James Cleverly has condemned the recent acts of violence at the Indian High Commission adding that Metropolitan Police were reviewing security and changes were being made to ensure safety, said a spokesperson of the UK Department for Business and Trade on Monday.
He also said that both UK and India are committed to delivering an ambitious and mutually beneficial Foreign Trade Agreement and concluded the latest round of trade talks last month.
Regarding the violence at the Indian High Commission in London, an official statement of the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, James Cleverly said, “Acts of violence towards staff at the Indian High Commission are unacceptable and I have made our position clear to the High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami. The police investigation is ongoing and we are in close contact with the Indian High Commission in London and the Indian Government in New Delhi.”
“We are working with the Metropolitan Police to review security at the Indian High Commission, and will make the changes needed to ensure the safety of its staff as we did for today’s demonstration,” it added.
The UK Foreign Secretary’s official statement also read, “We will always take the security of the High Commission, and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this.”
In relation to the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, he said that the UK-India relationship, driven by the deep personal connections between our two countries, is thriving.
“Our joint 2030 Roadmap guides our relationship and shows what we can achieve when we work together, creating new markets and jobs for the two countries and helping to tackle shared challenges,” the statement added.
“We want to build deeper ties between the UK and India for the future,” it concluded.
Earlier this month, the UK Foreign Secretary had said that the India-UK Free Trade Agreement can and must deliver practical, real-world benefits for businesses in both countries and that this will give a strong message to the world that the two countries are committed to building closer partnerships.
“FTA can and must deliver practical, real-world benefits for businesses in both of our countries. It will also send a strong signal to the whole world that our two great countries are committed to building even closer partnerships with each other,” Cleverly said.
The UK Foreign Secretary made the above remarks while addressing the gathering at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Special Plenary Session of India Europe Business and Sustainability Conclave in New Delhi.
The session was also attended by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
Cleverly during his address said that UK and India, the 6th and 5th largest economies in the world respectively, must work closely together to contribute to the world’s economic security and prosperity. He said that in times of social and economic turbulence, trusted partners need to work even closer together.
Piyush Goyal while addressing the session said that developed and developing countries must have different goals and timelines while being sensitive to each other’s needs, potential goals and roadmap towards sustainability.
Goyal highlighted that India had been one of the top 5 performers when it comes to benchmarking our work and meeting the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
‘Technology, finance and sustainable lifestyles are going to play an important role in ensuring sustainable growth’, he opined.
Goyal urged world leaders to recognize that everyone must contribute their fair share in improving energy efficiency, reducing waste, boosting the circular economy and achieving green goals by transitioning and helping other nations transition to green growth to make the world a better place to live in. “India’s partnership with the UK and the EU is significant in the global effort to make the planet safer and greener,” he said. (ANI)