In a recent and highly anticipated development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the UK Foreign Secretary -Rt Hon David Lammy, on 7 June, 2025 in New Delhi.
Following his meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary , PM Modi expressed his appreciation for the “UK’s support for India’s fight against cross-border terrorism” through a social media post. He also acknowledged Lammy’s substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, that has been strengthened further by the FTA being concluded in the recent past.
Let’s delve into the specifics of this pivotal dialogue, it’s key outcomes, the statements from the parties involved, and the broader implications for the trajectory of India-UK relations.
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PM Modi and the UK Foreign Secretary : A Meeting of Shared Concerns
From economic cooperation to critical security concerns, the representatives from both the nations navigated a complex agenda that helped renew and solidify their partnership for the better.
Besides PM Modi and the UK Foreign Secretary the meeting witnessed the presence of other respected officials, drawing attention to the comprehensive nature of the meeting’s agenda. Crucially, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also held detailed deliberations with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs UK , maintaining thorough exchange of standpoints across various portfolios.
Understanding the core agenda behind this meeting-
•to cover the betterment of bilateral ties across many sectors
•to delve into pressing regional issues
•to address global concerns that impact both the nations
Economic cooperation, strategic national security, technological collaborations, and people-to-people connections formed the pillars of the conversation.
Coming at a time when global stability is vulnerable to various threats, the visit of the UK Foreign Secretary to India became particularly crucial and highlighted the need for nations with mirroring democratic ideals to collaborate. This conference became successful in serving as a testament to the strong and ever evolving relationship between India and the UK, laying the groundwork for future collaborative endeavours.
About The Even Stronger India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
At the heart of the discussions was the shared promise to further deepen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal described his meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy as ‘fruitful’ as they discussed many avenues to strengthen bilateral trade and increase collaboration across various sectors to “unlock” the full potential of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Free Trade Agreement & Double Contribution Convention:
PM Modi announced in one of his posts on X that- In a historic milestone, India and the UK have successfully concluded an ambitious and mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement, along with a Double Contribution Convention.
The India-UK FTA is going to significantly boost bilateral trade by the elimination of tariffs on 99% of Indian exports and upto 90% of UK exports to India. The DCC will ensure smoother cross-border social security benefits, removing dual contribution requirements for workers from either country.
Technology Security Initiative:
The newly launched TSI aims at creating resilient and secure ecosystems for innovation through collaboration in sectors like AI, telecom, biotech, quantum tech etc. Joint R&D programmes and talent exchanges will be a part of it’s progress evaluation, twice a year.
Digital Resilience & Cybersecurity
At the Sixth Cyber Dialogue, India-Uk commitment has deepened even more to cooperate on cyber threat intelligence infrastructure protection and digital governance. This initiates collaboration between cyber agencies and law enforcement through joint training programmes.
Evolved Defence and Security Cooperation
Both countries will conduct more frequent joint military exercises , expand maritime cooperation and promote co-development in defence industry, with and indigenous production and interoperability focus.
Green Energy & Tackling Climate Crisis
Both the nations have initiated a joint Offshore Wind Taskforce and are extending cooperation on clean energy under programmes- ASPIRE Phase-2 and UKPACT. Joint investments in green hydrogen projects have also been made.
UK Foreign Secretary Backs India On The Nation’s Stance On Terrorism
One of the most critical aspects of the discussions was the talk around the two nations’ common battle against terrorism.
The UK Foreign Secretary has strongly condemned the terrifying terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir and has expressed his heartfelt condolences to those who suffered. This condemnation has brought to light the UK’s solidarity with India in the face of such heinous acts.
In a social media post, India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said- “Glad to meet UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today in Delhi. Appreciate UK’s strong condemnation of the terrorist attack on Pahalgam and support in combatting terrorism.
PM Modi reiterated on India’s consistent stand on the need for decisive yet coordinated international action against terrorism and against those states or entities that are responsible for sponsoring and providing support to such extremist ideologies.
Adding further weight to India’s stance, Indian EAM Jaishankar, delivered a strong message during his parallel discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs UK- He restated India’s “zero tolerance” policy towards terrorism mentioning that there can be no justification for such inhumane acts, firmly rejecting any attempts to equate culprits with victims.
Beyond the immediate bilateral agenda, leaders of both the nations engaged in a candid exchange of stances on a range of regional and global issues- discussions around climate change, multilateral cooperation and the ongoing geopolitical shifts and international stability emerged.
PM Modi also extended his warm greetings to the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and reaffirmed his long standing invitation for his visit to India. Such visits are paramount in the maintenance of momentum between the nations’ strategic partnership, and in providing future opportunities for in-depth discussions.
Parting Words For The Symbolic India-UK Meeting
The meeting held on 7th June, 2025 between both the nations has undoubtedly opened the door for continued collaboration on both bilateral and multilateral fronts.
It has made it clear that both the nations are more committed than ever to the concern of achieving global peace and security through their shared efforts. And as the future of these nations is being written now- through an expanded India-UK Partnership, it’s time for policymakers, businesses and citizens alike to actively take part in shaping this dynamic alliance.