UK PM Rishi Sunak's Foreign Minister James Cleverly in India for UNSC counter-terror meet

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Friday, October 28 arrived in India for his first-ever official trip since Indian-origin former MP and Chancellor of exchequer Rishi Sunak was appointed as the new British Prime Minister. Cleverly is expected to hold a bilateral dialogue with India's External Affairs minister S. Jaishankar in order to bolster the UK-India partnership. "Fantastic to be in India," the UK Foreign Secretary tweeted as he landed in New Delhi. 

"Looking forward to deepening partnership as we work towards our 2030 Roadmap, building our trade links and strengthening security," said UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Twitter during his visit to India. 

UK Foreign Secretary to attend UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee in Mumbai 

Cleverly will first visit Mumbai, where the latter will pay tributes to those who lost their lives in the city’s terror attack at the Taj Palace Hotel in 2008. The United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee is holding a special meeting in Mumbai and New Delhi on Friday, which is focused on the growing threat posed by new and emerging technologies. It is the first time that the UN Committee has convened a counter-terrorism meeting outside UN Headquarters in New York. At the summit, UK's foreign minister will urge the countries to work together to fight online terrorism.

UK's Foreign Secretary will then visit the Capital New Delhi where he will meet Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar to discuss the latest on the 2030 Roadmap, the landmark commitment to boost cooperation between the two countries under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 2030 vision was laid for revitalized and dynamic connections between the people of India and the UK, re-energize trade, investment, and technological collaboration between the two countries.

The Roadmap involves strengthening the cooperation between UK and India for the next ten years covering all aspects of the multi-faceted relations between the two countries. It includes launching the Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) for negotiating a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. The FTA addresses the market access issues between the UK and India, boosts exports, and strengthens the trade partnership across a comprehensive range of areas in both the UK and India. The framework strengthens cooperation under the Economic and Financial Dialogue, which will be held on an annual basis, to realize the potential for increased financial services trade between our two countries.