Boris Johnson on a trip to India at the end of April

After Britain exits the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will go on his first visit to India in late April, Downing Street has announced, as Britain seeks to “unlock” opportunities in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

The announcement of the visit, which was postponed from a planned Republic Day visit in January due to the growing COVID-19 crisis in the UK, led Mr Johnson to conclude the UK Government’s Integrated Review of Defense, Security, Development. And Foreign Policy – the post-Brexit vision that falls under a broader global UK agenda.

One central foreign policy shift included in the review is a definite tilt towards the Indo-Pacific region as the “geopolitical center of the world”, which includes Britain to grant ASEAN Economic Union partner status – of which India is a regional Dialogue is the partner.

“This year Queen Elizabeth Carrier will make her first operational deployment to the region with NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation] Aide, the UK is applying for partner status in the Union of South East Asian (ASEAN) countries and at the end of April the Prime Minister will visit India on his first major international visit since our departure from the European Union (EU), “Downing Street said on Monday.

Go to a speed for ETP

The visit to India, which Downing Street said will “unlock opportunities in the region”, is expected to finalize the much-awaited Indo-UK Promoted Trade Partnership (ETP) as a forerunner of a free trade agreement (FTA) in the future . .

Lord Tariq Ahmed, South Asia’s minister in Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is currently in India to add another momentum behind the ETP signed by Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they meet next month Huh.

The Integrated Review, which has been held in the past year, is known as the most comprehensive manifestation of foreign policy and national security approaches published by the British government in decades.

The 100-page document sets a vision for 2030 and how the UK will use its international policy to achieve this.

“The foundation of our foreign policy is that we are as a country: our values, our strengths and – most importantly – our people. Therefore, I am determined to make sure that we have a foreign policy that delivers for those people, ”Mr. Johnson said.

“Our international ambitions must start at home, and through integrated review we will bring investment back into our communities, ensuring that the UK is on the cutting edge of innovation and building an entire country that is match-fit for a more competitive world. Is doing, “he said.

The review is designed to address the challenges that come with a more competitive world, where some countries try to redefine the international order and in some cases – “the open and liberal international order that emerged in the wake of the Cold War” Weaken “.

It is intended to underline that the UK cannot rely on an “increasingly outdated international system” to protect its interests and promote its values.

Rather, it would establish a new government’s foreign policy of increased “international activism” and a UK working with allies to shape a more open international order in which democracy flourishes.

“As we advance an international order that promotes democracy, we will use the core principles of the British approach to foreign policy and national security: the defense of democracy and human rights; Importance of our relationship with America; Our continued work to protect the people of the UK from terrorism and serious organized crime; Our leadership on international development – as we are one of the largest aid contributors to the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), ”a government statement said.

It will create the country’s new sanctions, which have already banned more than 50 human rights violators, including Russia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe, and continue to address human rights abuses such as China’s repression of the Uygar minority in Xinjiang.

The new integrated review is also set to deal with issues such as climate change and the conservation of biodiversity, with a statement in the House of Commons.

Downing Street said, “Our withdrawal from the EU means we can pursue independent political and economic choices rooted in our interests and those of our allies.”

The government’s agenda for this post-Brexit plan also includes finalizing agreements with countries covering 80 per cent of UK trade by the end of 2022.