The High Commissioner then gave an overview of geopolitical strategic imperatives which will influence the India-UK relationship…reports Asian Lite News
Indian students in the UK surpass all countries, including China, said Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner to India, at a Distinguished Public Lecture on India-UK Relations.
“The degree of human connection between our two countries is extraordinary, yet there is potential to take the India-UK relationship to a deeper and profound level,” he said.
This was a unique and prestigious occasion when the High Commissioner of the UK visited JGU for the first time and addressed students of international affairs, law and other disciplines, giving them a diplomatic and strategic overview of the relationship between the world’s two important democracies.
“India and the UK connect on a human level. We are the fifth and sixth biggest economies in the world, India will grow to be the third in the world by 2030. We are trying to negotiate a free trade agreement and it’s quite important that we look at the economic value it gives but also the strategic value. Together, as nations we will try to deal with some of the biggest problems the world faces, especially climate change! We have already demonstrated how well we have cooperated in the research and production of Covishield vaccine during the pandemic. It was funded by research in Britain’s second best university and then developed and manufactured in India and that’s been a great milestone. But India will be one of the country’s most affected by climate change in the world and we will face it in our lifetimes.”
The High Commissioner then gave an overview of geopolitical strategic imperatives which will influence the India-UK relationship.
“Trade and investment, security in the region and the Indo-Pacific areas will also drive the discussion on cooperation. But it is the human level that is more important. I’d like to get more British people coming to India to understand the reality of India.”
He also touched on and the shared history between India and the UK and opined that India was one country where as a diplomat he had to take special care of historical sensitivities but he also looked at contemporary outcomes.
In his wide ranging lecture, the High Commissioner also dealt on the subject of geography, culture, language, food, cricket and showing respect for the country you live in.