Singhvi Sees Bigger Roles For India, Uk In World Politics

India and the United Kingdom should utilise their increasingly closer ties to play a more meaningful role in current world politics, according to the Indian high commissioner in the United Kingdom, L M Singhvi.

As middle powers, India and the United Kingdom can together play a meaningful role for their mutual benefit and in world politics, Singhvi said at a symposium organised in Calcutta yesterday.

Speaking on Changing International Political and Economic Scene: Role of India and the United Kingdom, Singhvi said India's foreign policy had never been able to match vision with ground realities. We always had our feet off the ground, but our wings were weak, he said.

 

Stating that Indo-British ties had become a model in foreign policy now, Singhvi said the terrorist extradition treaty and various other important treaties relating to trade and commerce were signed between these two countries during his tenure as the high commissioner to the UK.

Singhvi said United Kingdom's interest in India became evident when British Prime Minister John Major led a delegation of captains of 18 top British industries to the country a couple of years ago.

That visit had yielded dividends for India with Britain now becoming the second most important investor in this country, Singhvi said.

According to Singhvi, the cultural aspect was an equally important component in a country's foreign policy.

I have, therefore, taken initiatives to forge Indo-British ties at various social levels. The Nehru Centre at India House in Britain now forms an important forum for exchange of ideas between Indians and the British, he said.

Stating that Indians residing in the UK were important assets in the improvement of Indo-British relations, the high commissioner said he was trying to introduce the concept of setu-India to bridge the gap between India and the Indians residing in the United Kingdom.