UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy Begins Two-Day Visit to Delhi Ahead of ASEAN and Quad Meetings

New Delhi, 24th July 2024: Ahead of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s upcoming trips to Laos for ASEAN meetings and Japan for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, he will welcome the new U.K. Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, to Delhi on July 24 for a two-day visit, according to sources.

Lammy, marking the first senior official visit from the newly elected Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is anticipated to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will also engage with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

During this visit, Lammy aims to fulfil a pledge made at an Indian diaspora event before the U.K. elections on July 4, promising to visit India “within the month” if Labour won.

A primary focus of his visit will be to discuss advancing the India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, which were largely concluded under the previous Sunak administration but were paused due to elections in both countries earlier this year. There are still unresolved issues, such as business mobility, tariffs, and market access for specific goods. Lammy is also expected to discuss arranging further high-level visits between Modi and Starmer, which are overdue.

Additionally, the agenda will include addressing pending extradition requests for businessmen Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi, who are sought by India. Lammy is likely to raise concerns about the continued detention of two British nationals, Jagtar Singh Johal and Christian Michel, who face significant legal and human rights issues. The U.K. government, UN, and U.S.-based human rights organizations have criticized their detention without trial, as well as allegations of torture and arbitrary detention. The Michel case was previously brought up by former PM Sunak with Modi at the G-20 summit, while Johal’s situation was highlighted by Starmer during his time in Opposition.

Following these discussions, Jaishankar will travel to Lao PDR (July 25-27) to participate in various ASEAN meetings, including the ASEAN-India meet, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). This visit aims to reinforce India’s “Act East Policy,” as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Jaishankar’s next stop will be Tokyo for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (July 28-30), where he will join the Foreign Ministers of Australia and the United States. The Quad Ministers will address regional and global issues, focusing on collaboration to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The MEA also noted that discussions in Tokyo would include efforts to manage contemporary regional priorities through public goods delivery.

The Quad Foreign Ministers are expected to plan for a future summit of all leaders, though the U.S. elections in November may delay this. While the summit might not occur until a new U.S. President is in office in January, National Security Advisers Doval and Jake Sullivan recently indicated that it could still happen later this year.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced that the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting will emphasize enhanced cooperation in areas such as maritime affairs, women’s issues, peace and security, critical technologies, cyber security, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and combating disinformation, all contributing to the goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific.