Rajnath Singh (L) with Grant Shapps before their bilateral meeting in London. (Photo: X/@rajnathsingh)
New Delhi: The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, held a bilateral meeting with his British counterpart, Grant Shapps, in London, on Tuesday. In a news release, India’s defence ministry said the meeting went well “with a fruitful exchange of ideas” on both sides.
Before the meeting between Singh and Shapps, the Indian defence minister was presented a ceremonial guard of honour at the Horse Guards Parade.
During the meeting, Singh and Shapps discussed a range of issues, including defence, security, and cooperation. The defence ministry said their meeting particularly stressed on enhancing defence-industrial collaboration.
The British defence secretary emphasized that the India-United Kingdom relationship is not transactional. He said the two countries are natural partners with shared goals and many common things and ideas between them. On his part, Singh appreciated the growing strategic partnership between the two countries, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
The meeting was followed by the signing of two agreements between India and UK – a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on conducting a bilateral international cadet exchange programme, and a letter of arrangement between India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) on defence collaboration in research and development.
These documents will provide impetus to the people-to-people exchanges particularly among the youth, and a larger area of defence research collaboration between the two countries.
After arriving in London on late Monday, the defence minister began his engagements by paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue at Tavistock Square earlier, on Tuesday. Mahatma Gandhi had studied law at the nearby University College London from 1888 to 1891.
Paid homage to Pujya Bapu at his statue in Tavistock, London. pic.twitter.com/LP5vvfnOEy
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 9, 2024
It may be noted that the 9th of January is a symbolic date from the perspective of Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa to Mumbai in 1915, which is commemorated in the form of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India. The event marks the rich contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of the country.
This was the first visit by an India defence minister to the UK in 22 years. Before him, George Fernandes, who was the defence minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s BJP-led government, officially visited Britain in 2002.
