Rajnath Singh. (File photo)
New Delhi: The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, will leave on a two-day visit to the United Kingdom on Monday, the defence ministry said in a release on Sunday. This will be the first visit by an Indian defence minister to the UK in 22 years.
In 2002, George Fernandes, who was the defence minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, was the last Indian defence minister to visit the UK.
Singh will lead a high-level delegation from the defence ministry, which will include senior officials from the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the service headquarters, defence department, and the defence production department.
Sources in the defence establishment said the defence minister’s visit is aimed at bolstering security and strategic ties between India and the UK. They also said Singh is likely to explore with British officials the possibility of jointly developing warplanes and other defence platforms.
According to the defence ministry’s release, Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with the UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, in London. They will hold talks on a range of issues, including defence, security, and industrial cooperation. Apart from bilateral issues, they are also expected to discuss the situation in the Indo-Pacific, West Asia and Ukraine, the sources said.
Singh is also expected to meet the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and hold talks with David Cameron, who is the UK’s foreign, Commonwealth, and development secretary. Later, Singh is scheduled to meet CEOs and industry leaders of the UK’s defence industry and the Indian diaspora there.
He is also expected to visit the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar in London.
