India and the United Kingdom have asked the Taliban to ensure that Afghan territory was not used to threaten or attack any country, shelter or train terrorists or plan/ finance terrorist attacks.

At a meeting here last night between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and visiting UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, the two countries also stressed the need for full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

Advertisement

The two ministers undertook a detailed review of the “Roadmap 2030” launched during the India-UK Virtual Summit held on 4 May. They appreciated the progress so far on the implementation of the roadmap despite the constraints posed by the pandemic.

There was a detailed discussion focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investments, people-to-people relationship, health partnership, climate change, science and innovation and defence and security, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said today.

Both ministers welcomed the progress in delivering the Enhanced Trade Partnership announced at the virtual summit and underlined the need for launching FTA negotiations at the earliest, with a focus on negotiating an interim agreement that can deliver quick gains to businesses in both India and the UK.

They also discussed the Migration and Mobility Partnership and the Global Innovation Partnership and committed to their early implementation. They also acknowledged the establishment of new dialogue mechanisms for discussing consular issues and maritime security. Both sides also agreed on instituting the India-UK Strategic Futures Forum Track, a new 1.5 Dialogue mechanism to foster expert deliberations on long-term strategic links between the two countries.

Jaishankar and Truss also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest while sharing their commitment to a multi-polar world and multilateralism. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific, on countering terrorism and radical extremism, and addressing emerging challenges in the cyber and space domains.

During her stay in New Delhi, Truss also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. She is also visiting Mumbai where she will participate in business and defence engagements held in connection with the visit of Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) to India. She will also pay her respects at the memorial to honour the victims of the terrorist attack in Mumbai on 26 November 2008.