NEW DELHI: In a significant move towards strengthening the bilateral relations between India and the United Kingdom, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the UK on Sunday to discuss defence, security and industrial cooperation issues with his counterpart, Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps.
Singh will be the first defence minister to visit London in 22 years after George Fernandes in January 2002.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Sunday said, “He will be accompanied by a high-level defence ministry delegation, comprising senior officials from DRDO, service headquarters, department of defence, and department of defence production.”
During his visit, Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with Shapps. “They are expected to discuss a wide range of defence, security and industrial cooperation issues,” the MoD said. He will “also interact with the CEOs and industry leaders of UK defence industry and the Indian community there.”
Rajnath Singh is also expected to call on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and hold a meeting with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs David Cameron, the MoD said.
India and the UK are taking steps to boost their ties. The two are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement since 2022.
It was in May 2021, that the then British PM Boris Johnson and PM Modi adopted an ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The Roadmap, other than in defence and security matters, will pave the way for a deeper and stronger engagement, over the next decade, also in the areas of people-to-people contacts, trade and economy, climate action and health.
In an important move, the inaugural India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue was held in New Delhi in October 2023.