New Delhi Apr 22 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict with his British counterpart Boris Johnson and conveyed strong advocacy for a peaceful resolution and direct dialogue between the two countries Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Friday asserting no pressure was applied by the UK on New Delhi over its position on the matterBriefing reporters on talks between Modi and Johnson Shringla said Prime Minister Modi expressed deep concern over the ongoing situation in Ukraine and the mounting humanitarian crisis there The foreign secretary said that during the talks there was no pressure applied from the British side regarding the issue of adherence to sanctions on Russia and Johnson just shared his views on the Ukraine issueAsked if Boris Johnson put pressure on the Indian side to adhere to the sanctions against Russia Shringla said The Ukraine issue was discussed by the two prime ministers but there was no pressure involved Prime Minister Boris Johnson put forward his views on the Ukraine issue from his perspective Prime Minister Modi put forward Indias perspective on the Ukraine issue and asserted that we are on the side of peace and want that there should be dialogue and diplomacy and the conflict should be resolved soon he saidIndias position was very clear and there was no pressure of any kind he asserted The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict Prime Minister Modi expressed deep concern over the ongoing situation and mounting humanitarian crisis Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for immediate cessation of violence and conveyed strong advocacy for peaceful resolution of the situation and direct dialogue between the two parties Shringla saidThe foreign secretary said Modi and Johnson also discussed the ongoing Free Trade Agreement FTA negotiations and cooperation on energy green hydrogen trade and defence The talks provided an opportunity to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific he saidIndia welcomed the UK joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative under the maritime security pillar and agreed to cooperate closely in this region towards their shared commitment for maintaining an open free and secure Indo-Pacific region Shringla said The foreign secretary said both sides felt defence and security was an area of potential cooperation As I told you the UKs recent announcement about providing an open general licence for the export of equipment and technologies to India has been a welcome development There was a discussion on what we could do some of the areas that we discussed included electrical propulsion systems that can be used by naval ships also some work on jet propulsion systems aviation sector underwater sea domain etc he said But what is important was that both sides agreed that the two countries would facilitate meetings between their concerned scientists he said In other words the focus is on co-development and co-production in keeping with our initiative of make in India and our policy of Atmanirbhar Bharat The idea was that there would be greater emphasis on two salient features --which is production in India and transfer of technology Shringla said So what we are looking at is a combination of UKs technology and our production base to make a win-win situation he addedShringla said reference was also made during the talks to easier mobility between the two countries specifically for students and professionals UK universities could also consider setting up their branches in India at the same time he PM Modi also encouraged UK students to also study in India he said PTI ASK ASK TIR TIR TIR

New Delhi Apr 22 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Friday expressed zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and reiterated their condemnation of Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacksIn their wide-ranging talks Modi and Johnson agreed to constitute a sub-group on countering extremism in order to further enhance cooperation between India and the UK in ensuring that all possible actions are taken against groups and individuals based in or operating out of either countryBoth leaders expressed zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and for all those who encourage support and finance terrorism or provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups whatever their motivation may be a joint statement saidIt said the two prime ministers called upon all countries to work together to root out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure disrupt terrorist networks and their financing channels and halt cross-border movement of terroristsIt said Modi and Johnson reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks in India and the UK including the Mumbai and Pathankot attacksThey emphasised the importance of perpetrators of terrorist attacks being systematically and expeditiously brought to justice and agreed to work together to take concerted action against globally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals the statement saidIt said the two leaders expressed satisfaction on the ongoing cooperation through the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism JWG-CT including with regard to information and intelligence sharing on terror entities and individualsWithin this framework they agreed to constitute a sub-group on countering extremism in order to further enhance cooperation between the two sides in ensuring that all possible actions are taken against groups and individuals based in or operating out of either country seeking to incite violent extremism and terrorism and who are involved in financing such activities it saidIn their talks Modi and Johnson also reaffirmed their commitment to a free open peaceful and secure cyberspace and welcomed the progress under the enhanced India-UK cyber security partnership to tackle shared cyber threats including to critical national infrastructureThey outlined commitment in a joint cyber statement to deepen cooperation across cyber governance deterrence and strengthening cyber resilience the statement saidOn the situation in Afghanistan the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of UN Security Council UNSC Resolution 2593 which unequivocally demanded that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering training planning or financing terrorist actsBoth sides agreed to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and reiterated the need for a representative and inclusive political system in support of a peaceful secure and stable Afghanistan the statement said PTI MPB TIR TIR

New Delhi [India], April 17 (ANI): Calling India an economic powerhouse, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of his visit to the country underlined the strategic partnership with New Delhi while stressing "as we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is vital that democracies and friends stick together".