Rajnath Singh First Defence Minister to Visit UK in 22 Yrs, Trip to Focus on Boosting Strategic Ties

Defence minister Rajnath Singh is embarking on a two-day UK visit on Monday to boost India-UK bilateral strategic and security ties. The visit was initially scheduled for June 2022 but was postponed. This is the first time in 22 years that an Indian defence minister is visiting the UK.

The visit is the first such undertaken by the Indian defence minister after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then-UK counterpart Boris Johnson held talks in April 2022 where they agreed to expand the India-UK defence ties.

Rajnath Singh is expected to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and foreign minister David Cameron.

Singh is set to hold important discussions with counterpart Grant Shapps. He will also inspect a ceremonial Guard of Honour in London. Singh will also visit the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar in London. A high-level delegation, consisting of senior officials, DRDO representatives and industry leaders is set to accompany him.

The main focus of the visit will be to deepen India-UK military cooperation and forge stronger defence ties with the UK. India and the UK held high-level meetings such as the November 2023 Defence Consultative Group session in Delhi. A report by the Times of India pointed out that the UK was part of discussions despite not being among India’s top five strategic partners.

Ongoing projects led by the UK’s Rolls-Royce, GE (Naval) UK and MBDA (UK) will also be discussed along with India’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat programmes in the defence sector.

The defence partnership between the UK and India also will see the launch of an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) which shall streamline defence procurements, reduce bureaucracy and quicken delivery timelines.

India and the UK are also negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) which will bolster the £36 billion bilateral partnership.

(with inputs from Times of India)