India and the UK have completed the first ministerial review of the Vision 2035 framework, marking a major step in their comprehensive strategic partnership.
The talks in New Delhi, led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, launched new cooperation on maritime security and critical minerals, while also expanding education and technology ties.
The maiden official visit of Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to India was welcomed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who described the bilateral relationship as a “forward-looking highway of shared economic ambitions and high technology.”
The meeting addressed pressing global concerns such as trade, energy, food, and economic security amidst a worldwide churn in supply chains. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the defence industrial roadmap in building resilient and mutually beneficial supply chains.
Jaishankar highlighted that bilateral relations had seen remarkable developments in the past year, including reciprocal visits by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer, the signing of CETA, and the adoption of the defence industrial roadmap.
He emphasised that these milestones positioned both nations to build a future-oriented partnership. The ministers reviewed progress across the five pillars of Vision 2035: growth, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and clean energy, and education.
The review featured the launch of new cooperation initiatives in critical minerals and maritime security. A Memorandum of Understanding was exchanged between King’s College London and India’s National Maritime Foundation to establish the Regional Maritime Security Centre for Excellence under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
This centre will strengthen maritime domain awareness and collaborative security in the region. On critical minerals, both sides advanced joint projects to secure supply chains essential for clean energy and high technology industries.
Education emerged as a strong pillar of cooperation. The University of Liverpool formally announced its decision to establish a campus in Bengaluru under India’s New Education Policy, joining other UK institutions such as the University of Southampton.
The Ministry of Education handed over the Letter of Approval in the presence of Jaishankar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Cooper. The Liverpool campus is expected to begin operations in the next academic year, further deepening people-to-people ties.
Cooper noted that she had met Jaishankar at several international events and expressed pleasure at holding the first ministerial review of Vision 2035 in India. She emphasised that the partnership had gone from strength to strength in recent years, underpinned by shared democratic traditions and a commitment to economic security.
She highlighted cooperation in artificial intelligence, climate and clean energy, and defence and security, noting that both India and the UK are leading AI nations fostering collaboration between start-ups on cutting-edge technologies.
The UK Foreign Secretary also underscored the importance of education and people-to-people links, meeting representatives of UK universities now operating in India. She welcomed the launch of cooperation on critical minerals and maritime security, stressing that these initiatives reflect the shared economic and trading focus of both nations.
Cooper further noted the UK’s anticipation of handing over the Commonwealth Games from Glasgow to India, symbolising trust and partnership in the security domain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met Cooper during her visit, reaffirming the importance of Vision 2035 as a guiding framework for advancing cooperation across trade, investment, technology, innovation, education, defence, climate action, and people-to-people exchanges.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the progress made under the India-UK Technology Security Initiative, including in artificial intelligence and critical minerals, and welcomed momentum in defence cooperation, such as the exchange of military instructors in training institutions.
The review concluded with recognition of strong people-to-people relations as the bedrock of the partnership, positive engagement under the Migration and Mobility Partnership, and shared commitment to multilateral cooperation, including within the Commonwealth.
The outcomes of the visit underscore the deepening of India-UK ties across strategic, economic, and societal domains, setting the stage for long-term collaboration under Vision 2035.
ANI
