'India Is The Right Country To Be Hosting G20': UK PM Speaks On Summit, Hinduism, Indian Roots, And More
UK PM Rishi Sunak, who is in India to participate in the G20 Summit, highlighted his commitment to advancing the FTA deal while speaking on his identity as a Hindu and his Indian roots.
The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday expressed his optimism about India's role in hosting the G20 summit, his commitment to advancing trade deals, and his stance on issues like Khalistani extremism and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking to news agency ANI about the G20 summit, Sunak applauded India's successful leadership, stating, "G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. I feel we will have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made."
Turning to the issue of extremism, particularly Pro-Khalistan Extremism, Sunak reaffirmed the UK's commitment to combating all forms of extremism and violence. He underscored the close collaboration between the UK and Indian governments, involving working groups to share intelligence and information aimed at eradicating violent extremism.
"It's a really important question and let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that's why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle 'PKE' Pro-Khalistan Extremism. I don't think it's right. Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism. It's not right and I won't tolerate it in the UK," he told ANI.
Russ-Ukraine Conflict
Addressing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Sunak stressed the importance of highlighting the devastating impact of Russia's "illegal invasion" on global food prices. He noted that Russia's withdrawal from a Grain Deal has led to an increase in food prices, causing hardship for millions of people.
"One thing I will be doing is highlighting the devastating impact that Russia's illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world, particularly on food prices. Russia recently pulled out of a Grain Deal that we are shipping grain from Ukraine to many poor countries around the world and now you have seen food prices go up. That is causing suffering for millions of people. It is not right. One of the things I will be doing is making people aware of the impact of Russia's illegal war," he said, as quoted by ANI.
Regarding India's position on the Russia-Ukraine issue, Sunak emphasised that India values the international rule of law, the UN Charter, and respect for territorial integrity — universal values shared by many. "Well, it's not for me to tell India what positions to take on international issues, but I know India rightly cares about the international rule of law, the UN Charter, and respect for territorial integrity. I think those are things that are universal values that we all share. Those are things that I believe, and India, I know, believes in those things too," he remarked.
Sunak On Hinduism, Indian Roots
On a more personal note, Sunak discussed his connection with Hinduism, describing himself as a proud Hindu. He expressed his desire to visit a temple during his visit to India and mentioned his celebration of Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami, two significant Hindu festivals.
"I'm a proud Hindu, and that's how I was raised. That's how I am. Hopefully, I can visit a Mandir while I'm here for the next couple of days. We just had Raksha Bandhan, so from my sister and my cousins, I have all my rakhis, and I didn't have time to celebrate Janmashtami properly the other day. But hopefully, I said, I can make up for that if we visit a Mandir this time. But it's something that is important to me. I think faith is something that helps everybody who has faith in their lives, particularly when you have these stressful jobs like I do. Having faith to give you resilience, to give you strength, is important," he told ANI.
Returning to his role as the British Prime Minister, Sunak underscored the significance of his visit to India, a country he emphasised he loves deeply: "It is personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It's a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But I have come here in this role to represent the UK, to find ways to forge closer links with India and play a part in making sure that India has an incredibly successful G20."
On G20 India's theme 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', the British Prime Minister added, "I think it is a great theme. When you say 'One Family', I am an example of the incredible living bridge that PM Modi described between the UK and India - almost 2 million like me in the UK of Indian origin. So, it is very special for me to be here as British Prime Minister in the country where my family are from."
India-UK FTA Deal
Sunak went on to affirm his respect for Prime Minister Modi and their shared ambition to conclude a comprehensive trade deal. He reiterated his commitment to supporting Prime Minister Modi in ensuring the success of the G20 summit in India.
Regarding the roadmap for India-UK relations, Sunak highlighted the importance of deepening and broadening the bilateral relationship. He expressed enthusiasm for strengthening the security partnership, increasing collaboration between researchers, scientists, and universities, and addressing global challenges by harnessing the combined expertise of both countries.
On the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) under discussion between India and the UK, Sunak acknowledged the progress made and the need for further efforts to reach a successful conclusion that benefits both nations.
"I think the bilateral relationship is in good health and Prime Minister Modi and I are keen to deepen and broaden our relationship. The FTA is an obvious way for us to do that, which is why it remains our priority. And I said hard work to go, but I hope we can conclude a successful FTA. I think we can strengthen our security relationship as well. That's something that I've spoken to the Prime Minister about. And then something I'm particularly excited about is increasing the collaboration between our incredible researchers, our scientific community, our universities. The UK and India are two of the leading science technology superpowers of the world. And I think if we work more closely together, we can create jobs, create new businesses, and help solve some of the world's most pressing problems," he told ANI.
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