Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak discussed cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, security, trade and mobility, and expressed their support for the India-UK free trade agreement, in a bilateral meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Wednesday.

Modi also held a number of other bilaterals on the second and last day of the G20 summit, including with leaders from Italy, France, Germany, Singapore and Indonesia, and was formally handed over the G20 presidency to India for the coming year by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

“The leaders discussed the range of areas where the UK and India are working increasingly closely and have the opportunity to further develop our links, including defence and security,” according to a statement issued by the British High Commission in India on Sunak’s meeting with Modi.

They looked forward to the agreement of a UK-India free trade deal, which has the potential to unlock investment and increase jobs in both our countries, as well as expanding deep cultural links, it added.

“Discussions touched upon important sectors of collaboration such as trade, mobility, defence and security,”a release from the Ministry of External Affairs pointed out.

Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed ongoing collaboration in diverse areas like defence, civil nuclear, trade and investment, said an MEA release. The Indian PM congratulated Italian PM Giorgia Meloni on her election as the first woman Prime Minister of Italy. “Prime Minister Modi looks forward to celebrating 75 years of India-Italy diplomatic relations and welcoming Prime Minister Meloni in India next year for the G-20 Summit,” the release said.

Modi’s meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the third this year,  focussed on the Partnership on Green and Sustainable Development signed by the two at the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations earlier this year. “They also agreed to deepen trade and investment ties and further increase cooperation in the areas of defence and security, migration and mobility, and infrastructure,” the release said.

With his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, Modi reviewed the progress made in deepening cooperation across a diverse range of sectors, including defence, trade, education, clean energy and people-to-people ties. 

In his brief bilateral introduction with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, Modi reviewed the continuing deepening of the India-US strategic partnership and expressed satisfaction about the ongoing strong cooperation between the two countries in groupings such as the Quad, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said in a briefing.

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