Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi visited the United Kingdom on the backdrop of his party’s defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections. This was Modi’s first ever visit to the United Kingdom after becoming Prime Minister.
During his visit, Modi and Cameron issued a joint statement outlining a range of agreements between the two countries, specifically on the issue of climate change.
Modi also addressed the British parliament. He, thus, became the first Indian Prime Minister to do so.
UK’s Endorsement to India’s Permanent Seat at UNSC
British PM David Cameron’s statement of support for India’s permanent membership at the UN Security Council received a great deal of attention.
In line with previous Indian governments, Modi too emphasized India’s aspirations for a permanent seat at the UNSC.
Recently, on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly, Modi had led a meeting of the G4 — a geopolitical grouping comprising UNSC permanent seat aspirants, including Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan.
Economy
- The two prime ministers agreed to around $13.7 billion in deals.
- Modi emphasized India’s outsized economic stake in the United Kingdom. He noted that India invests more in the U.K. than in the rest of the European Union.
- According to the Cameron government, “In 2014-15 India emerged as Britain’s third biggest job creator, creating 7,730 new jobs, with investments from India increasing by 65 percent.”
- Cameron’s office additionally highlighted that among G20 members, the U.K. is the largest investor in India.
- The economic deals during the visit concerned India’s creative and retail sectors, logistics, financial services, energy, information technology and cyber, healthcare, and education.
Nuclear deals
The headlining deal of Modi’s state visit was an agreement on increasing bilateral cooperation on civil nuclear cooperation. This agreement was made in order to finalize the 2010 bilateral agreement between India and Britain.
The two prime ministers welcomed the successful conclusion of negotiations on a bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement providing a framework for further cooperation.
International Relations
Cameron and Modi discussed a range of regional and global issues. They expressed their “shared commitment and support” for a “stable, secure and successful future for a sovereign, democratic and united Afghanistan.”
They “stressed the need for inclusive political settlements in Syria and Iraq.” Additionally, Modi and Cameron “reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai to justice.”
The Modi-Cameron joint statement also discusses the need for an inclusive constitution in Nepal, international support for the Iran nuclear deal, and “full implementation of the Minsk measures by all parties” with regard to the Ukraine crisis.
Defense
Reports ahead of Modi’s visit suggested that he was looking to close a deal for the purchase of 20 Hawk Mk132 training aircraft from the U.K.’s BAE Systems.
India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited had signed a memorandum of understanding with BAE in May on upgrades for India’s existing Hawk Mk132 systems.
Other Important events
- Modi had lunch with Queen Elizabeth II
- Modi addressed Indian’s in UK at London’s famous Wembley Stadium. The crowd at Wembley to greet the prime minister was reportedly three times as large as the one he received in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
- Inauguration of Ambedkar Memorial: Modi inaugurated a memorial dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar over two months after India acquired the bungalow where B R ambedkar lived as a student in the 1920s.
Protests
- Ahead of Modi’s arrival, protesters gathered on Downing Street, criticizing Modi’s record on human rights.
- Moreover, a group of Indian secular activists projected an image of Modi with Nazi imagery on the U.K.’s Houses of Parliament at Westminster.