India, UK unveil technology security initiative

INDIA and the UK have firmed up a landmark technology security initiative (TSI) that sets out a bold new approach for collaboration in a range of "priority" sectors including telecom, critical minerals, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

The decision was made public in New Delhi on Wednesday following a wide-ranging talks between the visiting British foreign secretary David Lammy and India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

The MEA said the collaboration under TSI will include government, private sector, academia and research and development institutions.

The initiative was "spearheaded and agreed" by the NSAs of the two countries.

"It will set out a bold new approach for how the UK and India work together on the defining technologies of this decade - telecoms, critical minerals, AI, quantum, health/bio tech, advanced materials and semiconductors," it said.

FTA talks

In the discussions, both sides appreciated the "substantial" progress made in the India-UK FTA negotiations and looked forward to its "early conclusion" to achieve a mutually beneficial deal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

It is learnt that the Indian side, during the talks, flagged its concerns over activities of pro-Khalistan elements in the UK, while the British side raised the issue of Christian Michel, the key accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, who is languishing in a jail in India.

In the talks, the two sides agreed to deepen defence and security cooperation, in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and to enhance capacities to address growing threats from "non-state actors", the MEA said in a statement.

Jaishankar and Lammy also discussed the migration and mobility partnership between the two countries to strengthen people-to-people ties.

They also discussed India-UK collaboration in the field of climate and green economy.

Lammy arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for the first high-level engagement with New Delhi three weeks after prime minister Keir Starmer's Labour government came to power.

Ahead of his talks with Jaishankar, Lammy called on prime minister Narendra Modi who said India remains committed to elevating its ties with the UK and welcomes the desire to conclude a mutually beneficial free trade pact.

The British foreign secretary also held separate talks with national security advisor Ajit Doval. (PTI)