Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth (R) with the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Defence Vernon Coaker in Mumbai.
Credit: X/@SpokespersonMoD
Mumbai: Close on the heels of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the two sides on Friday reviewed the ongoing defence engagements and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation.
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth held a bilateral meeting with the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Defence Vernon Coaker in Mumbai, coinciding with the ongoing 'Exercise Konkan' involving the Indian Navy and Royal Navy in the Arabian Sea along the western seaboard.
In the exercise, the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is led by aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, while the Indian Navy has the Carrier Battle Group (CBG) led by aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
The meeting comes a day after India and Britain decided to take their defence and security ties to new heights by entering into the area of co-production, cooperation in military training, increased bilateral exercises between their armed forces, development of maritime electric propulsion systems and strengthening of air defence.
Besides, the two countries also inked a Rs 4,136-crore defence deal to procure lightweight multirole missiles (LLM) for the Indian armed forces.
During the meeting between Seth and Coaker, both sides reviewed the ongoing defence engagements and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation between India and the United Kingdom.
The CSG and CBG are currently engaged in the harbour phase activities in Mumbai and Goa.
Seth emphasised that such operational interactions enhance mutual understanding of operational philosophies and significantly contribute to interoperability between the two navies.
During the meeting, both Ministers reviewed the various facets of bilateral defence cooperation and discussed India's growing capabilities in manufacturing equipment and development of indigenous systems, bolstering indigenisation.
They 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.