"I know that today's era is not the era of war": UK Foreign Secy agrees with PM Modi's remark
Dec 12, 2022
London [UK], December 12 : United Kingdom Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Monday said the only route to peace in Europe is to end this war and quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words, "I know that today's era is not the era of war", according to a statement released by UK government.
Cleverly said, "He (Putin) is waging a 19th-century war of imperial conquest, deliberately debasing international conduct, utterly contemptuous of today's values. And by attacking one of the world's biggest producers of food and fertiliser, he is driving up global prices and inflicting still greater hardship on some of the poorest people around the world."
"Hence it was Prime Minister Modi who told Putin to his face, and I quote: 'I know that today's era is not the era of war.' The only route to peace in Europe is for Putin to end his war and withdraw his troops," he added.
In the speech, he said that Putin's goal is to turn back the clock to the era when might was right and big countries could treat their neighbours as prey.
UK Foreign Secretary further stated that they stood against Russia's invasion and recalled the last Friday's announcement where the government announced how to develop the combat aircraft hand-in-glove with Italy and Japan.
"As we stand against the Russian invasion, the United Kingdom benefits beyond measure from our rock-solid friendships with the United States of America, with France, with Germany, with Canada, Australia and many others," Cleverly said.
"Last Friday, we announced how we will develop the next generation of combat aircraft hand-in-glove with Italy and Japan. These vital relationships, constructed over generations, embedded in institutions like NATO and the G7, amount to our greatest source of strength and the foundation stone of British democracy and diplomacy," he added.
He also said that the UK "has no higher priority than to support our Ukrainian friends."
Regarding the world order, Cleverly said that time is changing. In the coming decades, he added that an ever greater share of the world economy, and therefore the world's power, will be in the hands of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
"Together they will decide whether the international order will endure. That reality has been evident for some time, but I am not convinced that British diplomacy has fully caught up," UK Foreign Secretary said.
He also said that the goal of foreign policy is not to comment but to make a difference. Britain has agency Britain has influence, Britain has leverage and it is my job to use it. So the UK will make a long-term and sustained effort to revive old friendships and build new ones, reaching far beyond the long-established alliances.
