NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his British counterpart Keir Starmer on Thursday on the sidelines of Starmer’s first official visit to India.
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in critical minerals, a key area for the global energy transition and emerging technologies.
Following the talks, PM Modi announced the establishment of the Critical Minerals Industry Guild to secure resilient supply chains and promote green technologies.
The two leaders also agreed to launch Phase II of the UK-India Critical Minerals Supply Chain Observatory, aimed at ensuring sustainable access to essential resources.
“We decided to establish an Industry Guild and Supply Chain Observatory for cooperation on critical minerals,” PM Modi said after the meeting.
The discussions, held in Mumbai, also covered progress on the long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and partnerships in defense, digital infrastructure, education and technology.
PM Modi described India and the UK as “natural partners,” emphasizing that their growing partnership has become a “crucial foundation for global stability and economic progress.”
Starmer, accompanied by a 125-member delegation of business, academic, and cultural leaders, said the visit was aimed at “doubling down on the potential of the trade deal” to create growth and jobs in both countries.
The proposed FTA, expected to be finalized within a year, will lower tariffs on goods such as Scotch whisky, English gin and Indian spices. It could increase bilateral trade by $34 billion, according to the British government.
The two leaders also discussed Indo-Pacific stability, the war in Ukraine and developments in Gaza with Starmer welcoming the first phase of a peace plan between Israel and Hamas.
As part of the outcomes, both sides also announced the establishment of a new satellite campus at IIT-ISM Dhanbad by a UK university, reflecting deepening collaboration in higher education and research.
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in critical minerals, a key area for the global energy transition and emerging technologies.
Following the talks, PM Modi announced the establishment of the Critical Minerals Industry Guild to secure resilient supply chains and promote green technologies.
The two leaders also agreed to launch Phase II of the UK-India Critical Minerals Supply Chain Observatory, aimed at ensuring sustainable access to essential resources.
“We decided to establish an Industry Guild and Supply Chain Observatory for cooperation on critical minerals,” PM Modi said after the meeting.
The discussions, held in Mumbai, also covered progress on the long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and partnerships in defense, digital infrastructure, education and technology.
PM Modi described India and the UK as “natural partners,” emphasizing that their growing partnership has become a “crucial foundation for global stability and economic progress.”
Starmer, accompanied by a 125-member delegation of business, academic, and cultural leaders, said the visit was aimed at “doubling down on the potential of the trade deal” to create growth and jobs in both countries.
The proposed FTA, expected to be finalized within a year, will lower tariffs on goods such as Scotch whisky, English gin and Indian spices. It could increase bilateral trade by $34 billion, according to the British government.
The two leaders also discussed Indo-Pacific stability, the war in Ukraine and developments in Gaza with Starmer welcoming the first phase of a peace plan between Israel and Hamas.
As part of the outcomes, both sides also announced the establishment of a new satellite campus at IIT-ISM Dhanbad by a UK university, reflecting deepening collaboration in higher education and research.
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