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United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper paid an official visit to India from June 3-4, marking her first visit to the country since assuming office.
During the visit, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held the first annual meeting with the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, to review the India-UK Vision 2035, adopted during the visit of Prime Minister to the UK in July 2025, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. During their meeting, both Ministers reviewed the progress made under all five pillars of India-UK Vision 2035, including Growth, Technology & Innovation, Defence & Security, Climate & Clean Energy and Education. The ministers welcomed opportunities unlocked by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and looked forward to its early entry into force. They expressed satisfaction at the progress on various initiatives under the India-UK Technology Security Initiative (TSI), including in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and critical minerals. On Defence and Security, the Ministers welcomed the momentum and new developments, including the exchange of military instructors in each other's training institutions. The two Ministers agreed that Education continued to be one of the most successful pillars of bilateral cooperation and looked forward to the early convening of the first Ministerial Dialogue on Education. They recognised the importance of the India-UK climate partnership, including through the India-UK Climate Finance Initiative on green growth. Both Ministers agreed that strong people-to-people relations formed the bedrock of the partnership and noted the positive engagement on the Migration and Mobility Partnership. The Ministers also discussed regional and global issues of mutual importance and cooperation at multilateral platforms, including the Commonwealth. There were key outcomes in the areas of education, critical minerals and maritime security during the visit. Ministry of Education handed over the Letter of Approval to the University of Liverpool to open its Bengaluru campus under India's New Education Policy (NEP), in the presence of the External Affairs Minister, Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan and the UK Foreign Secretary. The Liverpool University campus in Bengaluru is expected to begin operations from the next academic year. The Memorandum of Understanding between King's College London and the National Maritime Foundation to establish the Regional Maritime Security Centre for Excellence (RMSCE), established under the 'Maritime Security' pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), was also exchanged during the visit. In addition, the UK Foreign Secretary, along with the Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, kicked off the UK-India Critical Minerals Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO), said a release. India and the United Kingdom share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The historical ties have transformed into a robust, multi-faceted, mutually beneficial relationship over the years. The visit of Foreign Secretary Cooper further strengthens the bilateral relationship. (ANI)
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