By PTI

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement to enhance cooperation in military training and will establish an Industry Guild and Supply Chain Observatory for collaboration on critical minerals. Following wide-ranging talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Modi said both nations are fully committed to strengthening maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. “India and the UK are natural partners,” the Prime Minister said, highlighting the shared commitment to global peace and stability. On international issues, Modi reiterated India’s stance that it supports all efforts to restore peace in Ukraine and Gaza through dialogue and diplomacy. Starmer’s two-day visit to India, accompanied by a 125-member delegation of leading business figures, entrepreneurs, and educationists, follows the landmark India-UK Free Trade Agreement signed in July during Modi’s visit to London. The deal aims to expand market access, reduce tariffs, and double bilateral trade by 2030. Calling the trade pact a “launchpad for two-way growth,” Starmer said the agreement represented the “best secured by any country,” and underscored the vast opportunities as India is set to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028. The Indian side is also understood to have raised concerns about activities of pro-Khalistan elements operating from British soil and reiterated its request for the extradition of fugitive businessmen Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.