External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in New Delhi on June 4, 2026. Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar via ANI.
India and the U.K. are well-positioned to construct a new future-oriented and mutually beneficial partnership on the back of their newly firmed-up comprehensive trade deal and the defence industrial roadmap, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Thursday (June 4, 2026).He made the remarks during a meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.Highlighting ‘remarkable developments’ in the bilateral ties in recent months, the External Affairs Minister pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.K. last July, followed by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to India in October.Dr. Jaishankar highlighted the finalisation of the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the adoption of a comprehensive strategic partnership and the defence industrial roadmap as major achievements.“We are today well positioned to build a new future-oriented and mutually beneficial partnership,” he said.Dr. Jaishankar said CETA addresses many concerns about creating resilient supply chains and addressing concerns in areas of trade, energy, food and economic security.“Our relationship has moved from being a historical and perhaps cultural connection to being a forward-looking highway of shared economic ambitions and high technology,” he said.The External Affairs Minister also made a mention of India-U.K. Vision 2035 and its five pillars, such as growth, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and clean energy, and education.He also referred to the University of Liverpool’s decision to open a campus in India.In her remarks, Ms. Cooper said the India-U.K. partnership has gone from “strength to strength” in recent years and cited CETA as one of the key pillars of economic growth.Crucially, our commitment to economic security is reflected in work on critical minerals, she said.The India-U.K. Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO) was formally launched on Thursday (June 4, 2026) by Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy and Foreign Secretary Cooper.The launch marks a “significant milestone” in the growing India-UK partnership on critical minerals and supply chain resilience, reinforcing cooperation in securing the resources essential for clean energy transitions, advanced manufacturing, electric mobility and emerging technologies, according to a statement issued by India.The initiative is expected to serve as a valuable platform for strengthening India-U.K. cooperation in critical minerals and supporting informed decision-making for resilient, secure and sustainable global supply chains, it said.Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Cooper underscored the importance of India-U.K. collaboration in developing resilient, diversified and sustainable critical mineral supply chains.She stated that greater access to critical minerals and improved information-sharing are in the mutual interest of both nations and can contribute significantly to economic growth and supply chain security. Published - June 05, 2026 07:42 am IST
