British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss will visit India on March 31 against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on March 28 said Ms. Truss will hold consultations with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
There has been a flurry of visits to India of several Western leaders, including the Foreign Ministers of Austria and Greece and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, in the last few weeks.
The unfolding situation in Ukraine is likely to be discussed extensively during Ms. Truss’s talks with Mr. Jaishankar.
“The visit will also serve to further deepen our partnership across various sectors such as trade and investment, science, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate cooperation, education and digital communications,” the MEA said in a statement.
It said Ms. Truss would also participate in the inaugural edition of the India-U.K. Strategic Futures Forum, a track 1.5 Dialogue between the two countries.
The India-U.K. relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-U.K. virtual summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson in May last year.
In the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year-roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections, among others.
This would be the second visit of the U.K. Foreign Secretary to India since the virtual summit.
The MEA said Ms. Truss’s visit would also provide an opportunity to assess the progress on the ‘Roadmap 2030’.
