India and the UK enjoy warm relations and both are on the same page on many issues, including in countering terrorism

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with visiting UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss and they comprehensively reviewed bilateral relationship between the two countries.

During the meeting, as per the Ministry of External Affairs, both sides also touched upon issues of Roadmap 2030 launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’ virtual summit on May 4, 2021.

They appreciated the progress so far on the implementation of the Roadmap despite the constraints posed by the pandemic, the MEA said.

There were detailed discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investments, people-to-people relationship, health partnership, climate change, science and innovation and defence and security, the MEA added.

Both Ministers welcomed the progress in delivering the Enhanced Trade Partnership announced at the Virtual Summit and underlined the need for launching FTA negotiations at the earliest, with a focus on negotiating an interim agreement that can deliver quick gains to businesses in both India and the UK.

Both Ministers also discussed the Migration and Mobility Partnership and the Global Innovation Partnership and committed to their early implementation.

They also acknowledged the establishment of new dialogue mechanisms for discussing consular issues and maritime security.

Both sides also agreed on instituting the India-UK Strategic Futures Forum Track, a new 1.5 Dialogue mechanism to foster expert deliberations on long-term strategic links between the two countries, the MEA added.

EAM S Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary Truss also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest while sharing their commitment to a multi-polar world and multilateralism.

They agreed to strengthen cooperation in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific, on countering terrorism and radical extremism, and addressing emerging challenges in the cyber and space domains.

On Afghanistan, the need for full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance was discussed, as also the need for Afghan territory not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or to finance terrorist attacks, the MEA added.