EAM Jaishankar to visit UK from November 11-15, set to meet counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to the United Kingdom on an official visit from November 11-15, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced in a press release.

During his visit, Jaishankar will hold a meeting with his UK counterpart James Cleverly. He will also meet several other dignitaries.

India and the UK have a "growing bilateral partnership", the MEA stated in its release, noting that the two countries launched a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.

MEA noted in its release, " India and the UK share a warm and thriving relationship. The India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was launched in 2021 along with the India-UK Roadmap 2030."

"The Roadmap is a commitment to a partnership that delivers for both the countries. EAM's visit will give a new impetus to the friendly ties between the two countries," it added.

Significantly, India and the UK are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement. Talks for FTA between India and the UK started in 2022 and the 12th round of negotiations took place from August 8-31 this year.

Earlier, on November 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak discussed the progress on the Free Trade Agreement during a telephone conversation.

Sunak also congratulated PM Modi on Team India's dazzling performances in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

"Turning to the friendship between the UK and India, the leaders discussed recent progress on Free Trade Agreement negotiations. They agreed on the importance of securing an ambitious deal that benefitted both sides," the UK government stated in an official release.

"The leaders discussed the ongoing Cricket World Cup being held in India. The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Modi on the strong performance of the India team and said he hoped England would have more luck during their test series in India in January," it added.

PM Modi and Sunak also discussed the conflict in West Asia, especially in the context of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The two leaders condemned Hamas's attacks on Israel and reiterated that the terror group "did not represent" the Palestinian people.

The two leaders also reflected on the need to de-escalate tensions in the wider region.

PM Sunak underscored the importance of protecting innocent civilians in Gaza and ensuring aid was able to flow into the country, the statement added.