India and UK Explore Stronger Military Partnership and Enhanced Defence Capabilities

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the 24th India-UK Defence Consultative Group Meeting with his British counterpart, David Williams, in London on Wednesday. The talks centered on deepening military cooperation and enhancing collaboration in defence capabilities between the two nations.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue collaboration in financial services sector, FinTech and Digital economy. Photo: Shutterstock

David Williams extended a warm welcome to Rajesh Kumar Singh in London for the high-level meeting. Commodore Chris Saunders, Defence Advisor at the UK High Commission in India, shared insights from the discussions on X.

Commodore Saunders mentioned in a post on X that, "@DefenceHQ Permanent Secretary, David Williams CB, welcomed Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to London for the 24th UK-India Defence Consultative Group. Discussions focused on strengthening military cooperation and advancing defence capability collaboration."

The Ministry of Defence stated that the discussions centered on strengthening collaboration in the defence industry and advancing the Make in India initiative.

The Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, stated in a post on X that, "Defence Secy Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the 24th India-UK Defence Consultative Group meet with his UK counterpart David Williams in London. Both sides reviewed defence ties, focusing on enhancing defence industry collaboration & boosting the #MakeInIndia initiative, especially in niche tech."

On April 9, the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) took place in London. The Indian delegation, headed by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, engaged in high-level discussions with the UK team, led by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. As part of the 13th EFD, the UK announced export and investment deals worth 400 million euros with India.

In a post on X, the UK Government's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance stated, "We've announced £400m in export and investment deals with India, boosting our tech and financial sectors. India, our 11th largest trading partner, is set to become the world's third-largest economy by 2028. These deals will drive growth as part of our Plan for Change."

According to a press release from the Ministry of Finance, both sides reiterated their commitment to ongoing collaboration in the financial services sector, FinTech, and the digital economy, as well as between their respective regulatory bodies. They also agreed to cooperate in bilateral and multilateral forums to address shared and global economic challenges, including mobilizing affordable finance and investment for low-carbon economic growth, tackling taxation issues, and combating illicit financial flows.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)