NEW DELHI: In a bid to reiterate the UK’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations Catherine West, the UK’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific, reached India on Monday.
Climate, tech, health, education, and development are on the agenda to discuss here. The British High Commission (BHC) here, in its statement on Monday said, “During her two-day visit she will hold meetings with senior Indian ministers and officials and learn more about the unique living bridge both countries share.”
In her statement on her maiden visit Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West termed India as a vital partner and said, “I am delighted to be visiting India for the first time as Minister for the Indo-Pacific. As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India is a vital partner. My visit reaffirms the UK’s commitment to fostering deeper cooperation with India and to driving forward greater growth and prosperity for both our nations.”
Building upon the ambitions for the UK-India relationship set out by the Foreign Secretary in his visit in July, Minister West will continue to unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership and drive forward greater growth for both countries.
David Lammy, UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, paid an official visit to India on July 24, 2024. During the visit, the UK Foreign Secretary had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also met with Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser.
Catherine West’s visit will include a meeting at the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi, where she will reinforce the UK’s commitment to a stronger partnership and the importance of the enduring links between the nations.
In a major move, in May 2021, India and UK came out with a 10-year roadmap to strengthen the bilateral relations. Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi had agreed to the new and transformational India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and India-UK Roadmap 2030 Roadmap which will provide a framework for UK-India relations.
During her visit West “will also reiterate that the UK remains committed to negotiating a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement and Bilateral Investment Treaty.” Said BHC.
During an education roundtable at the British Council, the Minister, as per the BHC, will learn more about the unique “living bridge” between the UK and India, representing the 1.7 million people in the UK with Indian heritage and connecting our two countries across our culture, education, food, sport and more. Further deepening this cultural understanding, the Minister will visit the Jama Masjid in Delhi, where she will learn about its history and architecture.
Her visit follows a two-day visit to Bangladesh, where she reaffirmed UK support for the Interim Government’s work to build a more prosperous and democratic future for the country.
India and UK Military ties are on upswing with UK’s Littoral Response Group exercising with the Indian Navy in April this year. Also, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will be visiting in 2025 for joint training. The UK is among the select countries with which India has inked Logisitcs agreement, which allows for mutual use of the airbase and ports for administrative and repair purposes.