External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and visiting British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley met on Saturday and discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Indo-Pacific.
Jaishankar, after meeting Cleverly, who was in India to attend the UNSC Counter Terrorism Conference, said, “It is a pleasure to welcome UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on his first visit to India; shortly after our meeting in New York last month …mentioned progress in our Roadmap 2030. Also discussed was the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific.”
In the evening, Jaishankar also spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the telephone and discussed the Ukraine conflict. After a phone conversation with Blinken, Jaishankar said, “Nice to talk to US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Thank you for yesterday’s strong and clear message on terrorism and 26/11 accountability. On the Ukraine conflict and other regional issues.”
Tuesday is the first visit by a top UK official to Cleverly since Rishi Sunak took over as Britain’s first Indian-origin prime minister. It is learned that the two sides also took stock of the ongoing negotiations for the proposed India-UK Free Trade Agreement.
During the visit, the British Foreign Secretary announced further cooperation between the UK and India through British international investment.
According to the British High Commission, this includes UK funding of £11 million invested in Kinara Capital, a female-led fintech company. British International Investment is designed to strengthen business relationships with UK partners and generate economic growth.
Cleverly also announced a £22 million investment in Hygenco by the UK-backed Neave II fund, which will help India’s green energy transition by pioneering green hydrogen, the High Commission said.
On the sidelines of the UN meeting, Jaishankar also met Reem Al Hashimi, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation and Albania’s Deputy Foreign Minister Albania Megi Fino.
“It was great to meet with Reem Al Hashimi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation. His participation in the UNSC Special Meeting reflects his confidence in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Discussed shared-threat terrorism for the world and global responses,” Jaishankar tweeted.
In his meeting with Magi, he said the full potential of the bilateral relationship was discussed. “A nice meeting with Albania’s Deputy FM Megi Fino. His participation in the UNSC special meeting reflects our excellent cooperation during our UNSC tenure. We discussed how to explore the full potential of our bilateral relationship. We are also engaged in multilateral fora. Will cooperate closely.”
