- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
The two leaders met at 10 Downing Street and discussed a wide range of issues across bilateral defence and economic ties.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN defence minister Rajnath Singh wrapped up his visit to the UK on Thursday (11) following a “warm meeting” with prime minister Rishi Sunak and interacting with members of the Indian diaspora at a community reception.
Singh called on Sunak at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday (10) evening for discussions on a wide range of issues across bilateral defence and economic ties.
He also gifted him a Ram Darbar statue.
The Indian minister’s meeting with the UK’s first Hindu prime minister was also attended by UK national security adviser, Tim Barrow.
Read: India defence minister holds ‘insightful deliberations’ with David Cameron
Had a very warm meeting with the UK Prime Minister, Shri @rishisunak in London. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him.
We discussed issues pertaining to defence, economic cooperation and how ?? and ?? could work together for strengthening a peaceful… pic.twitter.com/1yk2RWJpbn
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 11, 2024
Raksha Mantri @rajnathsingh calls on UK Prime Minister @RishiSunak in London
UK & other like-minded countries should work with India for strengthening a peaceful & stable global rules-based order, says the Minister
Keen to bolster the defence & security pillar of UK-India ties,… pic.twitter.com/zp0mEkhfHU
— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 11, 2024
“Had a very warm meeting with the UK Prime Minister, Shri Rishi Sunak in London,” Singh later said in a statement on social media.
“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 added.
According to the Indian defence ministry’s readout of the meeting, Sunak agreed with Singh 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 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.
Singh “outlined his goal of integrating defence industries of both countries including through supply chain integration to build resilience. He also emphasised the importance of bilateral start-up level interaction, and identification and discussion of joint projects which India and UK could implement together,” the defence ministry said.
On Wednesday evening, Singh interacted with nearly 200 persons of Indian origin at a community reception organised by the Indian high commission in London.
Indian military ex-servicemen and family members of World War II veterans were also present at the event, during which the minister addressed the gathering to apprise them of the fast pace of growth and development underway in India.
“It is projected that by 2075-2080, India will be the No. 1 country in terms of economic ranking. This is the image of India today because of the fast pace of growth,” said Singh in an address to the gathering in Hindi, which was later briefly summarised by the Indian high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, in English.
Singh also shared aspects of a recent article in the Global Times, a Chinese state-owned outlet, entitled ‘What I feel about the Bharat Narrative in India’ by Zhang Jiadong. “Even the Chinese government has been forced to accept that India today is an economic and strategic power, as expressed by a writer reflecting the Chinese government’s views. We don’t consider anyone an opponent but there is a perception that India-China relations are not good – though we want good relations with all countries. Yes, against that perception, even our neighbouring country China accepts India’s growing heft as a global power today,” he said.
The minister also met his UK counterpart Grant Shapps during his three-day tour.
(With PTI inputs)
