UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said he agrees with India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine war as India has a historic relationship with Russia that everybody understands and respects. Acknowledging India’s strong condemnation of what happened to Ukraine’s Bucha, Boris Johnson said, “Talking to Narendra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made it clear that he has already intervened several times and I am sure this is no secret from our Indian (media) friends, he has talked to Vladimir Putin several times.”
“What Indians want is peace and they want Russia out. And I totally agree. And I think there is a difference in balance as India has a historic relationship with Russia that everybody understands and respects that goes back decades,” the UK Prime Minister said.
“What was so interesting about the last couple of days was the way in which Britain and India are being really encouraged, obliged by the pressure against autocratic coercion.. whether it’s Russia or China or whatever to do more together. And that is offering a huge, huge joint agenda,” the UK PM said.
Boris Johnson thanks ‘khaas dost’ PM Modi; says he ‘felt like Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan’
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday thanked PM Modi as he expressed his exhilaration over how warmly he has been received in India. He said he felt like cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and superstar Amitabh Bachchan as PM Modi’s state was all decked up with posters welcoming the UK prime minister to India. Calling PM Modi a khaas dost (special friend), Boris Johnson said, “Thank you … my friend prime minister Modi, Narendra Modi.. my khaas dost I think is the phrase I want to.. in Hindi. We had a fantastic two days in India. I became the first conservative prime minister to visit Gujarat, your birthplace, of course. It is also the ancestral home of almost half the British Indians. I had an amazing reception. I felt like Sachin Tendulkar. My face was as ubiquitous as Amitabh Bachchan. I was everywhere to be seen. It was fantastic. It was fantastic,” Boris Johnson said.
Boris Johnson arrived in Ahmedabad on Thursday for his two-day India trip. He spent the first day in Gujarat, visiting the Sabarmati Ashram, Akshardham temple of the Swaminarayan sect in Gandhinagar and the manufacturing unit of JCB.On Friday, Boris Johnson met PM Modi in New Delhi and held bilateral talks. Talking about the India-UK relationship, the UK PM said things have never been so strong and good between India and the United Kingdom.
“They (People of Gujarat) put on a fantastic welcome for us. It was absolutely extraordinary. I have never seen such a joyful reception. I would have not gotten the same reception anywhere else in the world. It was amazing to see your (PM Modi’s) home state for the first time,” Boris Johnson said.
