In a significant boost to bilateral relations, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy concluded substantive talks on strengthening trade, security, and cultural ties between the two nations. The discussions, which followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent engagements with UK leadership, underscored the transformative potential of the newly finalized Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Double Contribution Convention.
Highlighting the landmark agreements as “game-changers,” Minister Jaishankar noted that the FTA will dramatically increase two-way trade and investment flows, while the Double Contribution Convention is set to streamline tax and pension arrangements for expatriate communities. “These pacts not only open doors for goods and services but will also deepen our strategic collaboration by reinforcing supply and value chains,” he remarked.
Security cooperation also featured prominently on the agenda. Minister Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s uncompromising stance on terrorism, praising the UK’s “strong condemnation” of the recent Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir and urging continued solidarity. “India will never allow wrongdoers to equate themselves with their victims,” he asserted, calling on international partners to uphold a zero-tolerance policy against terror networks.
Beyond trade and security, both sides explored avenues for enhanced infrastructure financing and educational exchange. Jaishankar pointed to the UK-India infrastructure financial bridge as a catalyst for long-term capital investments into India’s development projects. In education, plans are underway for prominent British universities to establish campuses on Indian soil, a move that promises to enrich academic collaboration and student mobility. He also welcomed the deepening of people-to-people ties, describing them as “the living foundation” of a partnership that continues to flourish across sectors.
