The India Global Forum’s (IGF) annual UK-India Parliamentary Lunch took place in the House of Lords this week with special guest UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who hailed the bilateral relationship as an incredibly important relationship for the future.
James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, said: “India is a natural partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific, and the deep partnership between our countries will boost both our economies and help to tackle global security challenges. “It’s through organisations like the India Global Forum that we can strengthen our trade and investment relationship and I look forward to working even more closely with India during its G20 Presidency this year.”
India’s Presidency of the G20 formed the centrepiece of the exclusive event on Wednesday January 25, co-hosted by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.
His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami said: “History is an important guide, it tells us what we have, where we came from and how we came to be together. But no friendship moves forward by looking only at the past and our friendship must be based on the values of the past, values that we share, but in the road ahead that we see.
“And, the road ahead that we see is two democracies that understand the complexities of the world in which we live and the need for us to work together in a forward looking way in which we secure value chains of production, ideals and ideologies of our entire way of thinking and we secure for our planet the best possible opportunities for the least able citizens in all our countries. If we do that, then the UK-India partnership is truly one for the next millennium.”
The IGF unveiled its “Leading with Purpose” agenda for the annual UK-India Week, scheduled for June. The annual Parliamentary Lunch also marked the launch of the UK-India Future Forum, IGF’s new dynamic country-focussed initiative to facilitate high-level engagement between business leaders and policymakers. Through a regular programme of open and closed door events, reports, briefings, and delegations, the Forum is designed to enhance strategic dialogue and support trade and investment flows between the two countries, and wider markets.
Professor Manoj Ladwa, Founder and Chairman of India Global Forum, said: “IGF’s UK-India Future Forum (UKIFF) will focus on advancing high impact strategic partnerships and investment flows, with technology and modern science at the core.
“Its launch at this important event in the UK-India calendar comes at a time when this partnership is well poised for the next phase of impactful growth. From the life-saving collaborations in the field of vaccines to defence and security tie-ups in the Indo-Pacific, the UK-India partnership is a beacon in these challenging times and will stay the course on a mission of Leading with Purpose.”
Lord Jitesh Gadhia, the host of the iconic House of Lords setting on the banks of the River Thames, added: “If this lunch has one key objective, then it is to re-energise and renew our commitment to unlocking the full potential of the UK and India working ever more closely.”
