As External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has concluded his visit to London, he has now called on the UKs Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer in the Parliament on Wednesday. Both leaders reaffirmed the bipartisan commitment towards strengthening India-UK relations.EAM Jaishankar meets UKs Leader of the OppositionTaking it to X, S Jaishankar shared details about his meeting, saying, Delighted to meet UKs Leader of Opposition @Keir_Starmer in the Parliament. Value the bipartisan commitment in the United Kingdom towards strengthening our relationship. Our discussion covered bilateral aspects and shared regional and global interests.”Delighted to meet UKs Leader of Opposition @Keir_Starmer in the Parliament.Value the bipartisan commitment in the United Kingdom towards strengthening our relationship.Our discussion covered bilateral aspects and shared regional and global interests. pic.twitter.com/q4DFJ32uFg— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 15, 2023On Wednesday, the foreign minister also met the UKs Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, with the two leaders holding discussions on security and development issues as well as bilateral cooperation. Pleased to meet Shadow Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy this morning. A wide-ranging conversation on security and development issues, as well as bilateral cooperation. Appreciated his perspectives and insights, he tweeted.Pleased to meet Shadow Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy this morning.A wide ranging conversation on security and development issues, as well as bilateral cooperation. Appreciated his perspectives and insights.Also thank Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific @CatherineWest1… pic.twitter.com/ZjEStG7iV1— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 15, 2023Also thank Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific @CatherineWest1 for joining on the occasion, he added.The minister will conclude his five-day visit to the UK on Wednesday.Meeting with UKs National Security Advisor Tim BarrowEarlier in the day, he met the UKs National Security Advisor Tim Barrow and discussed regional and global challenges.Glad to meet UK NSA, Tim Barrow. A good discussion on pressing regional and global challenges, the minister posted on X.Glad to meet UK NSA Tim Barrow.A good discussion on pressing regional and global challenges. pic.twitter.com/45zcm11bzj— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 15, 2023During his London visit, Jaishankar met with his British counterpart David Cameron and discussed progressing a Free Trade Agreement and partnerships on defence, science and technology on Tuesday.The two leaders reflected on the strength of the UK-India relationship, including meeting the ambitions of the UK-India 2030 Roadmap during their meeting.Negotiation on Free Trade AgreementIndia and the UK are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement or FTA, for which talks started in 2022. The 12th round of negotiations took place between August 8 and 31 this year.Further, the foreign minister acknowledged the transformations in the world, the UK, and the evolving India-UK relationship and also emphasised the pivotal role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in shaping the nations trajectory.Outlining the significant impact of PM Modis initiatives over the last decade, Mr Jaishankar emphasised that the cumulative effect of these efforts has led to a socioeconomic revolution in India.Addressing the evolving Indo-UK relationship, the EAM expressed the need to reframe the partnership in light of the profound changes in both nations. He emphasised the importance of preparing for a contemporary era and exploring new convergences to unlock the unrealized potential between India and the UK.India and the UK have a growing bilateral partnership, the foreign ministry stated in a release earlier, noting that the two countries launched a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.
