During his official visit to the United Kingdom, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met with Chevening Scholars from India alongside the UK’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy. Jaishankar took to X (formerly Twitter) to share details of the meeting, highlighting the scholars as “great advocates of the India-UK ties.” He wrote, “Great to meet Chevening Scholars from India along with FS @DavidLammy this evening. A vivid expression of our talent and people-to-people exchanges, they surely are great advocates of India-UK ties.”
Chevening, the UK government’s international scholarships and fellowships program, provides an opportunity for students to study at a UK university.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where they discussed advancing bilateral economic cooperation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. On X, Jaishankar expressed his pleasure at the meeting, writing, “Delighted to call on Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer at @10DowningStreet today. Conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi. Discussed taking forward our bilateral, economic cooperation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges. PM Starmer also shared UK’s perspective on the Ukraine conflict.”
In another update, Jaishankar thanked Foreign Secretary David Lammy for the warm welcome at Chevening House and expressed his optimism for their upcoming discussions. “Thank you FS @DavidLammy for this extremely warm welcome at the Chevening House. Look forward to our discussions,” the EAM wrote.
Jaishankar also held meetings with UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, where they discussed the flow of talent and joint efforts between India and the UK to address issues like trafficking and extremism. In his meeting with Jonathan Reynolds, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jaishankar focused on the progress of the free trade agreement negotiations between India and the UK.
As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar’s visit to the UK, which runs until March 9, aims to provide renewed momentum to India’s friendly ties with both the UK and Ireland. On March 6 and 7, Jaishankar will travel to Ireland, where he will meet with his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, and other dignitaries, along with members of the Indian community.