Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and his UK counterpart Vernon Coaker, reviewing the ongoing defence engagements, discussed various ways to boost defence cooperation between the two nations. A meeting regarding the same was held on Friday at the sidelines of the visit of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to India.
"During the meeting, both sides reviewed the ongoing defence engagements and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation between India and the United Kingdom," an official statement noted.
Seth noted that the UK CSG, led by HMS Prince of Wales, successfully completed the sea phase of Exercise Konkan with the Indian Navy off the western coast of India. The CSG is currently engaged in the harbour phase activities in Mumbai and Goa. He emphasised that such operational interactions enhance mutual understanding of operational philosophies and significantly contribute to interoperability between the two navies.
"They (the two countries) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the ties in all spheres, including collaboration and opportunities in Global Defence Supply Chains. They also reiterated their commitment to strengthen maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region in support of a free, open, and rules-based world order to ensure freedom of navigation," the statement said.
Coaker said, "The Carrier Strike Group was welcomed into the Indian ports, and we are very grateful to India for that to maintain the security of the Indian Ocean.” He then added that the naval cooperation is significant to both countries, and they are working together to ensure security and stability are maintained in the region.
"India is crucial to that, and we remain committed to working with our friends to deliver that," he said.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a robust, multi-faceted and mutually beneficial defence partnership, guided by the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the 'India-UK Vision 2035', adopted during PM Modi's visit in July 2025 to the United Kingdom, the statement said.
"It's good to hear that the two prime ministers announced the agreement on the missile deal that was done. Obviously, it's extremely important again for both countries for the stability in the region," he said.
"So all around, the defence industry that we see here today is really important and we hope further agreements can be made, further arrangements could be made between industries in the UK and in India for the benefit of our two great nations," Coaker added.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer held wide-ranging discussions.
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