UN Security Council Body’s meeting: FTA, Ukraine in focus as EAM meets Cleverly

This was the first high-level contact between the two sides since Rishi Sunak took over as the UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar and his British counterpart James Cleverly on Saturday reviewed the overall bilateral relationship and discussed the fallout of the Ukraine conflict.

External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly on his first visit to India on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI)

This was the first high-level contact between the two sides since Rishi Sunak took over as the UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday. Cleverly arrived in India on Friday to attend a special meeting of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee hosted in New Delhi.

Cleverly described India as a “powerful voice on the international stage and an important partner for the UK” in a tweet posted after his meeting with Jaishankar. He said he and Jaishankar had a productive meeting during which they discussed collaboration on trade, investment, defence and security.

Jaishankar tweeted that the two sides had noted the progress in the Roadmap 2030, which lays out a 10-year framework for relations in areas ranging from trade and investment to defence and security. “Also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific,” he said without giving details.

People familiar with the matter said the two sides also discussed the ongoing negotiations for an India-UK free trade agreement. A plan to conclude the trade deal by Diwali fell through because of the political turmoil in the UK and differences within the ruling Conservative Party on the key issue of mobility of professionals and migration.

Jaishankar and Cleverly last met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York last month.

Cleverly also announced measures for further bilateral collaboration through British International Investment, including £11 million of UK funding for Kinara Capital, a woman-led fintech company, according to the British high commission.

He announced another investment of £22 million by the UK-backed Neev II Fund into Hygenco, which will help India’s green energy transition by pioneering green hydrogen.

India and the UK elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson in May 2021. At that time, the two sides also adopted the Roadmap 2030 to expand ties in key areas.

Jaishankar held other bilateral meetings on the margins of the meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee with UAE minister of state Reem Al Hashimy and Albanian deputy foreign minister Megi Fino.

He tweeted that Al Hashimy’s participation in the UN special meeting “reflects the trust of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” and said they discussed the “shared threat terrorism poses to the world and the global responses”.

Jaishankar also tweeted that he and Megi discussed ways to explore the full potential of the India-Albania relationship. “We will also cooperate closely in multilateral forums,” he said.

Jaishankar also spoke on phone with US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who had sent a video statement for the UN meeting supporting India’s efforts to prosecute those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks and tacitly criticising China for blocking the listing of Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN Security Council.

“Good to speak to US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Thanked him for his strong and clear message yesterday on counter-terrorism and 26/11 accountability. Discussed the Ukraine conflict and other regional issues,” Jaishankar tweeted.