Sat May 03 16:22:32 UTC 2025: ## UK and India Sign Cultural Pact to Foster Closer Ties
**Mumbai, India – May 3, 2025** – The United Kingdom and India have signed a new bilateral Cultural Cooperation Agreement aimed at strengthening cultural ties and boosting creative collaborations. The agreement, signed on May 2nd, is expected to increase UK creative exports to India and foster partnerships between British and Indian museums and cultural institutions.
UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, Lisa Nandy, currently on a three-day visit to India, hailed the agreement as a significant step forward. Speaking at the Waves Summit 2025 in Mumbai, and in an interview with The Hindu, Ms. Nandy emphasized the pact’s potential to serve as a model for international cooperation in a world increasingly marked by division. She highlighted the shared vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to leverage cultural heritage to unite people globally.
Ms. Nandy underscored the economic importance of the cultural exchange but stressed its deeper significance in fostering closer people-to-people connections. She noted the often-overlooked influence of Indian culture on modern Britain, citing the Beatles as an example of a quintessentially British band profoundly shaped by Indian music. The agreement, she explained, aims to systematize and expand existing organic collaborations between the two countries’ cultural institutions.
The UK Culture Secretary also acknowledged Prime Minister Modi’s ambitions for India’s film, literature, music, and dance industries, stating that the UK government is eager to collaborate with India to elevate these sectors to new heights. The agreement marks the beginning of a new chapter in UK-India relations, promising increased collaboration and mutual understanding.
First Piper 