New Delhi: While praising Narendra Modi's leadership over the past year and noting that India's presidency of the bloc came at a time when the world is facing innumerable challenges, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that India is the "right country" at the "right time" to hold the G20 presidency.
Sunak, the first British prime minister of Indian descent, told PTI in an exclusive interview just days before the G20 meeting in Delhi on September 9-10 that the relationship between the United Kingdom and India will define the future of both countries much more than it defines the present.
India is the ideal candidate to preside over the G20 at this moment due to the country's size, diversity, and outstanding achievements. It's great to see India taking such a prominent role on the international stage, and I applaud Prime Minister Modi for his leadership over the past year. The Prime Minister's Office emailed back answers to PTI's questions.
Through India's G20 Presidency, "we will also work closely with them to address the biggest challenges the world is facing, from stabilising the global economy to dealing with climate change," Sunak said.
At the G20 summit, world leaders like the British prime minister, PM Modi, US vice president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida will discuss a wide range of topics, including the fallout from the conflict in Ukraine.
As he put it, "India is definitely home to the biggest global geopolitical events of the year!," including the G20 meetings and the Cricket World Cup. "2023 is a huge year for India," he added.
Conservative Party leader and 43-year-old politician Michael Gove warned that allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack a sovereign neighbour with impunity would have "terrible consequences" for the entire globe. Gove was referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"As two of the world's leading democracies, we are who we are because of our people. Because of this illegal and unjustified Russian invasion, the United Kingdom is committed to helping the Ukrainian government protect itself.
"Ukraine has the right to choose its own future as a free and democratic nation. There will be catastrophic repercussions for everyone if Putin is permitted to invade a sovereign neighbour. According to the British prime minister, the Ukrainians are the ones who want peace the most, but Putin is the one who can stop the war "tomorrow" by withdrawing his soldiers.
"Until he does, we will help the vulnerable in Ukraine and around the world deal with the terrible consequences of Putin's war, including the spike in the global price of food and energy caused by his manipulation of markets and attacks on grain supplies," he said.
Sunak's remarks come as India struggles to get support for a common statement in the G20's final resolution about the Ukraine situation.
India has had a hard time getting Russia and China to stick to their word on the two paragraphs of last year's Bali declaration that dealt with the situation in Ukraine.
It is "at a time when the world is facing multiple challenges," according to Sunak, that "India has taken on the Presidency of the G20."
He continued, "In the past twelve months we have witnessed the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, military coups in Niger and Gabon, and the ongoing repression of human rights in Afghanistan and elsewhere."
Sunak expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of seeing Prime Minister Modi and discussing the ways in which joint efforts by India and the United Kingdom have helped to address global issues.
The "huge role" that the UK and India have to play in tackling these global concerns would be discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Modi this week.
Sunak added, "We will have to wait and see what the summit outcomes will be." in reference to the potential results of the G20 summit. The United Kingdom is willing to help India host a productive summit. Sunak explored several facets of the cultural and interpersonal connections between India and the United Kingdom in this in-depth conversation.
The "Living Bridge" between the two countries, he said, which includes the 1.6 million strong Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom and links "our people across culture, education, food, sport, and more," is what makes the United Kingdom's relationship with India "truly unique." More than the present, the connection between the United Kingdom and India will determine the course of both countries' futures, he said.
Two years ago, we agreed to the '2030 Roadmap,' a historic pledge to bring our nations, economies, and people closer together. This was in recognition of the many ties that bind us and the many ways in which our interests are aligned. At the summit between Prime Minister Modi and then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a 10-year road map was created to strengthen relations between the two countries in a variety of important areas, including commerce and economics, defence and security, climate change, and people-to-people linkages.
After a successful bilateral virtual summit in May 2021, relations between India and the United Kingdom were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
"We have already achieved so much under this roadmap," Sunak said, "including the mutual recognition of higher education qualifications, new visa routes for young professionals, and billions in new investment deals." These deals include British companies like Tesco, Deliveroo, and Revolut establishing or expanding their presence in India, creating thousands of new jobs.
The UK Navy, Army, and Air Force have conducted joint drills with their Indian counterparts, he said, enhancing "our ability to work together to tackle shared threats." Sunak claims that there has been substantial development in the fields of science and technology on both sides.
Together, the United Kingdom and India are "science and technology superpowers" that are "pushing the boundaries of innovation for global good," as he put it.
Together, he said, "we delivered a Covid-19 vaccine," noting that the vaccine was the result of years of study at Oxford University, funding from the United Kingdom's government, creation by AstraZeneca, and mass production by India's Serum Institute.
He went on to say that the United Kingdom and India were already cooperating to meet the problems of the future.
Sunak also discussed the Indo-Pacific engagement and cooperation of the British and Indian economies.
Within the next decade, India is expected to rise to the position of third largest economy worldwide. That's why India's a vital ally in this part of the world and beyond," he explained.
The British prime minister has stated, "I absolutely see more for the UK and India to do together in the Indo-Pacific, building on the impressive cooperation that has already taken place across trade, defence, and security under the 2030 Roadmap."
Sunak also discussed Britain's foreign policy agenda for 2021, which places a premium on the Indo-Pacific region.
"That's something we have confirmed this year when we published a refreshed version of the policy – our commitment to the Indo-Pacific isn’t going anywhere, just as this region isn't going anywhere," he said.—Inputs from Agencies