Even though the UK is witnessing sharp increase in COVID-19 cases the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given his consent to India’s invitation to attend the Republic Day celebrations in January next year.
According to the visiting British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Prime Minister Johnson has gratefully accepted the invitation to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations in January, which is a great honour.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Raab said that his country welcomes India’s return to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member. He also said that Mr. Johnson has invited his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G-7 Summit due in the UK next year. Raab said that boosting the security of the Indo-Pacific region is among the top priorities of the Boris Johnson government. The friendship with India is of utmost importance in this regard.
Mr. Raab also said that building a strong and lasting friendship with India will help the two countries in tackling shared issues of concern such as terrorism and maritime security. He also mentioned piracy in the western Indian Ocean in this connection.
Speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that the Indo-Pacific region and Afghanistan are the common areas of bilateral concern between the two countries. He also said that India looked forward to working with the UK as it begins its non-permanent spell at the UN Security Council early next year.
At this juncture, it needs to be stated that President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations earlier this year. Both Bolsonaro and Johnson belong to the conservative parties of their respective countries.
