British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to visit India this week

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will visit India this week to attend a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.

New Delhi:British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will visit India this week to attend a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee. Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a press conference on Wednesday that Cleverly will be among the dignitaries to attend the UN meet.

It will be the first visit by a top-ranking official from Britain after Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK's first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday. The meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee will take place on October 28 and 29. The meet on October 28 will take place in Mumbai while the second day's deliberations will be in Delhi.

Ways to check use of social media, new fund raising methods and unmanned aerial systems by terror groups will be the focus of the two-day special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Cleverly are set to have a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of the UN meet.

On Tuesday, Jaishankar had a telephonic conversation with Cleverly. India and the UK have been engaged in negotiations for a free trade agreement. Over a week back, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said both sides are holding negotiations for an early finalisation of the pact that could be beneficial to both sides. (PTI)