NEW DELHI: Having accorded a king-size welcome in Gujarat the previous day like he did for former US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi built the atmospherics for the summit with his UK counterpart Boris Johnson, drawing wholesome praise from the visitor on Friday even on prickly issues like Ukraine.
Both leaders addressed each other on first name terms at a joint press conference, with Boris profusely thanking his khaas dost (special friend) Narendra for the overwhelming reception, which included a roadshow in Ahmedabad, saying and felt like cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on his arrival and like superstar Amitabh Bachchan on seeing his hoardings everywhere in Gujarat.
Both sides set a Diwali (October) deadline for arriving at a comprehensive free-trade agreement and signed six pacts in the interregnum. The bilateral talks covered a wide spectrum, including enhancing defence and security ties. Prominent among the proposals on the table were the building of a new fighter jet in India with top-of-the-line British know-how.
Refusing to criticise India’s comparatively soft line against Russia on the Ukraine invasion, Johnson said, “Modi has come out in strong language at what happened in Bucha. He has made several attempts to reach out to Vladimir Putin asking him what on earth he thinks is he doing? Indians want peace and Russia out and I tend to agree with that.’’ Modi said both India and Britain were hopeful of a resolution in Ukraine.
“We have focused on dialogue between the nations in the Russia-Ukraine war and have always maintained that the sovereignty and integrity of both nations be maintained.” Modi credited Johnson for improving ties between the two countries.
“This may be his first visit as PM to India, but Boris knows India very well. He has contributed greatly in enhancing India- UK ties.’’ Regarding upholding human rights and democratic values, Johnson said India functions according to its Constitution that had provisions to safeguard the interests of everyone.
“If I talk about human rights and democratic values, of course we have this conversation but the advantage of our friendship is that we can have them in a friendly and private way,’’ he said. Johnson said India was different from autocracies around the world like Russia and China.
Both sides unequivocally condemn civilian deaths
A joint statement said Modi and Johnson unequivocally condemned the civilian deaths in Ukraine, and “reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the conflict, which was having severe implications across the globe, in particular for developing countries”