UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to hold talks with EAM Jaishankar on Thursday
New Delhi, June 3
UK's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper, will arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday on a two-day visit to India.
She will hold a meeting with the External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
On Tuesday, while addressing a regular media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India and UK will discuss several areas of cooperation, including security, economic and defence during UK's Foreign Minister's visit to India.
He stated that India and UK will also discuss issue of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and how the two nations can increase trade ties.
"With the United Kingdom, it's not just about FTA but we have a large gamut of issues that we deal with them, economic cooperation, security cooperation, defence cooperation and several other areas of collaboration. So, when a Foreign Secretary or the Foreign Minister of UK will be here, we will discuss all these issues with them as also including the issue of Free Trade Agreement and how we can scale up our trade and investment ties."
On Tuesday, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said he had "great conversations" with the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, on charting the next phase of India-UK economic engagement, advancing shared business priorities and further strengthening the "robust and forward-looking partnership" between the two countries.
"Delighted to welcome my friend, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, and his delegation to India," Goyal said in a post on X.
"Had great conversations on charting the next phase of India-UK economic engagement, advancing shared business priorities, and further strengthening our robust and forward-looking partnership," the minister added.
The meeting comes amid growing economic and trade cooperation between India and the United Kingdom following the signing of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in July 2025.
Earlier in April, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval hosted his British counterpart Jonathan Powell for the annual India-UK Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi, with discussions held on advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including strengthening defence and security cooperation.
"NSA hosted his counterpart from UK Mr. Jonathan Powell in New Delhi on 23 April 2026 for the annual India-UK Strategic Dialogue. They had wide ranging discussions on advancing the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including strengthening defence and security cooperation. They also exchanged views on regional and global security challenges," the MEA stated on X.
Powell also met EAM Jaishankar in New Delhi, with discussions focused on regional and global security issues and deepening bilateral cooperation.
"Glad to meet UK NSA Jonathan Powell in New Delhi this afternoon. Our discussion focused on regional and global security issues, as well as the deepening India-UK cooperation," EAM Jaishankar posted on X.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some diplomatic action! But I hope they also discuss the issue of Indian students facing visa problems in UK. Our youth shouldn't have to jump through hoops for education when we're signing trade deals.
UK needs India more than we need them after Brexit. They're desperate for trade deals. EAM Jaishankar is a sharp negotiator, won't give away our interests easily. Let's see what comes out of this.
As long as they're not lecturing us about human rights or Kashmir, I'm fine with this visit. We have a lot to offer in IT, pharma, and services. But UK should also lift those extra visa restrictions on our skilled workers.
I work for a UK-based MNC in Bangalore and this FTA talk gives me hope for smoother business operations. But I'm concerned about UK wanting too many concessions in services while restricting Indian talent movement.
Happy to see diplomatic engagement growing. But I hope our government remembers the historical context - UK owes us a fair deal considering 200 years of colonialism. No more unequal partnerships.
Good move, but let's be real - UK's political instability changes governments every few months. Hard to build long-term strategy. Still, any engagement is better than isolation
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