MoS Defence of India and UK meet in Mumbai, discuss ways to deepen cooperation

Mumbai, Oct 10 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and his UK counterpart Vernon Coaker on Friday reviewed the ongoing defence engagements and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation between the two countries.

They held a meeting here on 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 said.

The meeting comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer held wide-ranging discussions in the financial capital.

Seth noted that the UK CSG, led by Prince of Wales, successfully completed the sea phase of the bilateral maritime exercise KONKAN-25 with the Indian Navy off the western coast of India. The CSG is currently engaged in the harbour phase activities at 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 various facets of bilateral defence cooperation and discussed about India's growing capabilities in manufacturing equipment and development of indigenous systems bolstering 'aatmanirbharata' (self-reliance).

"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.

Talking to reporters, 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 said naval cooperation is important to both the countries and they are working together to ensure that security and stability is maintained in the region.

"India is crucial to that and we remain committed to work 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 the visit of Prime Minister Modi in July 2025 to the United Kingdom, the statement said. PTI PR NP