Britain's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has reached India for a four-day visit to take part in the first Indo-UK strategic dialogue. This will be the third UK Cabinet minister to visit India, after Chancellor Philip Hammond and Energy Minister Greg Clark. PM Theresa May visited India in November.
The minister is visiting Mumbai and Delhi and will hold meetings with senior Indian defence ministry officials, military staff and business leaders. Fallon will be in Mumbai to inspect the guided missile destroyer ‘Chennai’, among other engagements, and in New Delhi for talks with defence minister Arun Jaitley, national security advisor Ajit Doval and Indian military chiefs to further the India-UK Defence and International Security Partnership.
Terrorism will “absolutely” be part of the talks, he said. In the eve of his departure, he spoke on the same lines as Indian PM Narendra Modi who on Saturday at an event without naming the nation slammed Pakistan saying that it breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism and this “thought” is a roadblock to peace within the region and the world. He also highlighted that India’s doors are always open for cooperation, but for that Pakistan has to shun terrorism.
Sir Fallon's India visit
The British High Commission in a statement said, “Sir Michael will join his counterpart, Shri Arun Jaitley, for the first India-UK Strategic Dialogue, which was agreed in November 2015 during Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's visit to London as part of the Defence and International Security Partnership.”
The visit promises to further cement the Defence and International Security Partnership, which aims to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between India and the UK, including by enhancing mutual capabilities and effectiveness through joint training and doctrine development, the statement said.
UK-India Strategic Dialogue will look at ways of increasing cooperation in science and technology, research and development, and countering violent extremism, it said.
On Wednesday, the Defence Secretary will be the special guest at a reception hosted by British high commissioner Dominic Asquith in New Delhi to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II -- which falls on April 21.
On Tuesday he visited the Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy on Wednesday and he was accompanied by a 12-member UK delegation, during the visit, a Defence spokesperson said.
Fallon and the delegation also interacted with Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
A spokesperson in a statement said, "Discussions were held on aspects related to Defence and naval cooperation, maritime security and current environment in the Indo-Pacific region.”
"Progress on maritime issues, as outlined in the Defence and International Security Partnership were also discussed.
The delegation also visited Indian Naval Ship Kolkata, a front line indigenously built stealth destroyer and were conducted around the ship.
"Royal Navy and Indian Navy have for long shared a healthy relationship of mutual respect, trust and professionalism. The two navies have engaged in a bilateral naval exercise named KONKAN from 2004 onwards.
"The last edition of the KONKAN series of exercises was held in December 2016 and INS Tarkash is scheduled to participate in KONKAN 17 off the coast of UK in May 2017," the spokesperson added.
UK on Pakistan terror
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the Defence Secretary said that UK needs to be more forthright on terrorism, particularly on terrorism that “flows across” Pakistan’s borders into Afghanistan and elsewhere.
On the eve of his visit he said Britain has made it “very clear” to Pakistan that there cannot be any excuse or justification for terrorism.
Fallon’s remarks are significant in the context of Brexit compelling the UK to focus more on major economies such as India, and the grouse in New Delhi that unlike the United States’ contemporary view, India continues to be hyphenated with Pakistan in London’s outlook.
Fallon said the UK did condemn the Uri attack but agreed that “We have to be more forthright on terrorism…we have to call it out for what it is”.
“There is no excuse, justification for terrorism and we make that very clear in Pakistan”, he said and added that his talks in India will also focus “on what more Pakistan needs to do to tackle terrorism that flows across the border into Afghanistan and elsewhere”.
“We have been trying to improve relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan because that is causing real difficulties in Afghanistan, the relationship needs to be improved rapidly. We have made that clear to the new Pakistani chief of army staff. We made it clear to them that they have work to do in the border areas”.
Minister supports PM Modi's view
Minister Fallon's statement came right after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on Saturday 8 April where he said that India’s doors are always open for cooperation, but for that Pakistan has to shun terrorism.
Hitting out at Pakistan, Modi reportedly said it breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism and this “thought” is a roadblock to peace within the region and the world.
The Hindu reported that he emphasised that “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” is not just restricted to India, but also to the neighbouring countries and development of India is incomplete without the progress of the region.
He was speaking at the ceremony where families of martyrs of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War were felicitated by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Modi said India is a victim of the “thought” that encourages terrorism.
“The thought, whose policymakers prefer terrorism over humanity, destruction over development, destruction over creation, backstabbing over trust, is the biggest challenge to the society and its economic development,” he said.
Stating that 1,661 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War, Modi said the Indian army’s struggle in this cannot be forgotten.
The Prime Minister said the genocide by Pakistan in 1971 was undertaken to wipe out an entire generation of Bangladesh and every person who was proud of the idea of Bangladesh was eliminated.
Speaking at the event, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said, the history of Bangladesh has been written with the blood of Indian martyrs along with valiant freedom fighters of Bangladesh.
“They fought together for the independence of Bangladesh.”
