Key Summary
- Yvette Cooper will meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to review delivery under Vision 2035.
- This is her first official visit to the country.
- She will emphasise shared interests with India on freedom of navigation.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has arrived in India to discuss collaboration between UK and India, prescribed in the Vision 2035.
She will hold wide-ranging talks with India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar on Thursday (4), focusing on minimising economic shocks from the ongoing conflict in West Asia and reviewing the implementation of the UK-India 10-year roadmap to boost overall ties.
The 10-year UK-India Vision 2035 sets strategic goals for sustained collaboration and innovation across sectors.
This is Cooper’s first official visit to the country and it follows Business and Trade secretary Peter Kyle’s trip earlier this week, which aimed to bring the UK-India Free Trade Agreement into force as soon as possible.
Prime minister Keir Starmer and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi launched Vision 2035 last year as a shared plan to unlock the potential of the UK-India relationship.
The discussions are expected to cover key bilateral, regional and global issues as New Delhi and London seek to deepen cooperation across trade, technology, security and innovation.
Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said: "The UK-India partnership is a bulwark against rising global uncertainty. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper's visit this week, her first visit in the role, is another important opportunity to build on that partnership."
"Since our prime ministers unveiled their shared vision for a modern UK-India partnership last year, the UK has been driving forward collaboration with India as a priority," she said.
Cooper will also welcome new Indian investment into the Technology Security Initiative and meet AI health tech entrepreneurs.
She will also take part in a British Council programme focused on how UK-India partnerships are delivering results in education and growth.
