UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab calls India 'a like-minded, high trust vendor nation'

In a major foreign policy speech on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that the UK has a central role to play on the world stage as an independent sovereign state, a leading member of the Western alliance and an energetic and dependable partner in the growing prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

Addressing the US Aspen Security Forum virtually a day after Britain released its flagship Integrated Review of foreign policy, the senior Cabinet minister warned that democracy is under threat around the world, and therefore the policy document singles out like-minded nations, such as India, who will be key to upholding democratic values and interests. He also named India among the countries that would help address the need for diversified global supply chains with high trust vendors.

"That's why you can see under our Presidency of the G7 that we've invited India, South Korea, and Australia to join this year's summit, because we in the West, we have got to broaden our reach and appeal if we are going to tackle global challenges and manage the threats we face today," he said.

"We will work with the likes of Estonia and Norway, India and Israel, Singapore and South Korea, and many others, to diversify our supply chains from manufacturing to tech, to shore up our economic resilience," Raab added.

Earlier this month, Raab spoke to India's Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to discuss the progress in bilateral cooperation between the two countries. EAM Jaishankar had informed about the recent talks between him and Raab, adding the duo discussed regional and global issues, including those concerning the United Nations. 

Last year's visit

On December 14, last year, Raab visited India, during which he had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for G7 Summit. The two sides had discussed a wide range of issues, including defense and maritime security to counter threats in the Western Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region. India and the United Kingdom also agreed to take their trade partnership to next level by agreeing to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement in order to boost bilateral trade and investments, which already stands at almost £24 billion.