TMP Online

Lord Malloch-Brown (right) arrived today in India on his first official visit to the region since becoming Foreign Office Minister responsible for South Asia. On arrival in Delhi he said:

‘I am delighted to be visiting India and to meeting with Foreign Minister Mukherjee [below].

‘The UK’s relationship with India is one of our most important and strongest. It is underpinned by solid economic and people to people links. Over one million people travel between our two countries each year and we have a total two-way trade of almost £8 billion per year.

‘India is an influential, active and respected voice across many key regional and global issues, and the UK has been at the forefront in recognising India’s prominent position on the world stage and supporting India’s aspirations for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

‘The UK and India are committed to addressing shared global and regional issues. I will be discussing with Foreign Minister Mukherjee how we can work with Nepal to create conditions necessary to hold credible elections, and the importance of keeping up pressure on the Burmese regime to begin dialogue with the democratic opposition.’

Malloch-Brown was appointed the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN attending Cabinet in June 2007.  His responsibilities include Africa, Asia (Afghanistan, Sub-Continent and Far East), the UN, the Commonwealth, human rights, global and economic issues, and FCO Services, as well as FCO business in the House of Lords.

He served as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from April to December 2006. Before this, from January 2005, he had been the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet. Partly concurrently, he served from July 1999 until August 2005 as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. After stepping down from the UN, he briefly took up the role of Vice Chairman of Soros Fund Management.