Boris Johnson invited as 2021 Republic Day chief guest

India has invited U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson as chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January 2021 and a choice on that is awaited from London, in keeping with diplomatic sources.

The invite was prolonged on November 27 throughout a phone dialog between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Johnson, a diplomatic supply stated on December 2. However, there was no affirmation from the British High Commission on this with officers saying that Mr. Johnson was eager to go to India as quickly as attainable.

It has been learnt that earlier than this invite discussions had been underneath manner for a go to by Mr. Johnson for the Raisina Dialogue.

There was no response from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to questions on the go to. There has been high degree go to since U.S. President Donald Trump’s go to in February 2020 on account of COVID-19. Also, with the variety of COVID-19 circumstances in India crossing 9.5 million, there may be nonetheless no readability on the Republic Day celebrations in 2021.

The MEA stated in a press release on November 27 that the 2 leaders exchanged ideas concerning the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and reviewed the promising cooperation between India and U.K. within the space of vaccine growth and manufacturing.

The leaders reiterated their shared need to impart a quantum soar to the India-U.K. partnership within the post-COVID, post-Brexit period, and agreed that there was great potential for enhancing collaboration in commerce and funding, scientific analysis, mobility of pros and college students, and defence and safety.

Officials stated that with concentrate on a spread of areas the main target between the 2 international locations could be to work out a complete strategic partnership.

Defence cooperation, a precedence space for the 2 international locations, has seen lot of exercise in the previous few years. A mutual defence logistics help settlement is in superior phases of being signed whereas a defence coaching Memorandum of Understanding can also be within the works. A Defence Technology and Industrial Capability Cooperation (DTICC) MoU was signed in April 2019.

The two counties are near signing a government-to-government (G-to-G) settlement on jet engine know-how growth. In addition, the U.K. authorities can also be engaged on a government-to-government framework for defence offers in future. The U.K. has already introduced its intent to deploy a Liaison Officer on the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) meant to enhance Maritime Domain Awareness.

The U.K. has additionally made a pitch to India for joint know-how growth of sixth era fighter applied sciences which might go into India’s fifth era Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft as effectively as supplied design of its Queen Elizabeth class plane provider for Indian Navy’s proposed second indigenous provider.