Rajnath concludes UK visit after meeting with PM Sunak
LONDON: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh concluded his visit to the UK on Thursday after a “warm meeting” with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and interacting with members of the Indian diaspora at a community reception.
Singh called on Prime Minister Sunak at 10 Downing Street here on Wednesday evening for discussions on a wide range of issues across bilateral defence and economic ties. He also gifted a Ram Darbar statue to Sunak, Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister, during the meeting also attended by UK National Security Adviser (NSA) Sir Tim Barrow.
“I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him. We discussed issues pertaining to defence, economic cooperation and how India and the UK could work together for strengthening a peaceful and stable global rules-based order,” he said.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defence readout of the meeting, Sunak agreed with the minister on the need for the UK and India to work in tandem and expressed hope that the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations could be brought to a successful conclusion soon. India and the UK are currently holding the 14th round of FTA negotiations with the aim of significantly enhancing the annual GBP 36-billion bilateral partnership.
Sunak is said to have also underlined his keenness, and that of his government, to strengthen the defence and security pillar of the bilateral relationship, including through government backing for stronger business and technology partnerships with Indian counterpart entities.
Meanwhile, Singh briefed Sunak about his “positive interactions” with the UK defence industry and the “new positive energy” in the bilateral defence relationship during his tour of the UK, the first by an Indian Defence Minister in 22 years.
He also met with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and reflected on the new momentum and direction of the India-UK partnership, symbolised by intense engagements at various levels.
