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August 1st, 2010
India and the UK: An Enhanced Partnership for the Future
British Prime Minister David Cameron during his two-day maiden visit to India, sought to transform the long-standing relationship by paying tribute to India’s rising global stature and lauding Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for his “wise and thoughtful leadership”. In his remarks, Prime Minister Singh paid rich compliments to Prime Minister Cameron for his “strong personal commitment to take our partnership to an even higher level of understanding and purpose”.
Opening statement of Prime Minister Singh during the press conference with U.K. Prime Minister:
“It is my great privilege to welcome the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom His Excellency David Cameron on his first visit to India.
Prime Minister Cameron has a distinguished political career. He brings with him the finest qualities of leadership and a bold vision for Britain and a better and safer world. His presence here, so soon after his election victory in May this year, indicates the strength of the bonds that tie India and the United Kingdom. It also demonstrates the Prime Minister’s strong personal commitment to take our partnership to an even higher level of understanding and purpose.
Our discussions, this afternoon, were wide ranging, warm and extremely productive. We share the same vision for a renewed and enhanced partnership between our two countries. To this end we have agreed on specific initiatives in the areas of economy and trade, science and technology, energy, education, defence, culture and people to people contacts.
We have decided to constitute an India-UK CEOs Forum and an India-UK Infrastructure Group. We will work towards doubling our trade in the next five years. Building upon past experience, we have also agreed to launch a new phase of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative. We will intensify bilateral exchanges at all levels.
India and the United Kingdom are natural partners to shape a better world. If we join hands together, we can make a meaningful contribution to addressing the challenges of global poverty and development, reform of global institutions, terrorism and climate change.
We also reviewed the regional security situation and developments in Afghanistan. There was agreement between us that today terrorism constitutes the single biggest threat to the region and to open and pluralistic societies like ours. We have agreed to further intensify our cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism.
Finally, I have conveyed to the Prime Minister that the people of India look forward to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi which we hope will further strengthen the spirit of the Commonwealth.
With Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit we have set, ladies and gentlemen, in place a new momentum to drive our strategic partnership forward. I have no doubt that this will be good for both our countries, and it responds to the wishes and aspiration of both our peoples.”
India-UK Joint Press Statement during UK Prime Minister’s visit:
UK-India Summit talks were held on 29 July 2010 in New Delhi, during the State visit to India of the British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. David Cameron, MP.
The British Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the warmth of the welcome which had been extended to him and his colleagues on his visit to India, and set out his hope to achieve a transformation of the relationship between the two countries over the coming years.
The two Prime Ministers and their colleagues had a detailed and fruitful discussion. They agreed that the India-UK relationship had great potential for growth, to the benefit of both countries, and that both Governments should invest further effort in working to take it to a new level in the future.
Trade, Investment and Energy
The two sides agreed that we should be ambitious in seeking to substantially increase trade and significantly increase investment between the U.K. and India.
They agreed to establish a new India-UK CEOs Forum to help achieve this. This will be a small, high-level body, co-chaired by Peter Sands (CEO of Standard Chartered Bank) and Ratan Tata (Chairman of Tata Group). It will meet alternately in India and the U.K. and will make recommendations to the two Governments on how to increase levels of trade and investment in each others’ economies.
Both sides also agreed to review the mandate, composition and structure of relevant existing bilateral bodies in the area of trade, investment and economic cooperation, in order to re-energise our joint efforts.
Both sides discussed India’s particular interest in attracting international as well as domestic investment in infrastructure over the next decade, and how best the two Governments could enable and encourage this. They agreed to establish an India-UK Infrastructure Group, led by the two Governments and drawing on the expertise of the private sector, which would help identify barriers to investment and potential solutions.
Discussions were also held on a Memorandum of Understanding between Government of India and U.K. Trade and Investment to enhance investment in the Roads sector, and the two sides looked forward to its early finalisation.
Both sides agreed to explore initiatives that will create resources and incentives to help businesses deploy renewable energy, particularly for the poor.
They also welcomed the new opportunities that had opened up for co-operation in the civil nuclear power sector, following the signature earlier this year of the UK-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Declaration. This has created opportunities for wide ranging cooperation between the countries in the nuclear field including with regard to nuclear trade and exchanges between scientific institutions. The two Prime Ministers agreed on the importance of international trade in
Continued on Page 2
Pictures of Cameron’s visit on Page 3
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