Rio de Janeiro, November 19 (IANS). British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the resumption of stalled negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with India. He said Britain would focus on building a ‘new strategic partnership’.
“A new trade deal with India will support jobs and prosperity in the UK,” Starmer said after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit on Monday. “Will represent a step forward in the mission.”
A statement issued by the UK PM Office regarding the Modi-Starmer meeting said, “The UK will seek to build a new strategic partnership with India, which will also include a trade agreement, as well as cooperation on security, education, technology and climate.” This will also include deepening cooperation in areas like transformation.
“The UK remains committed to negotiating a trade deal with India – one of the world’s fastest growing economies,” Starmer’s statement said.
Prime Minister Modi said in a post on X, “For India, the comprehensive strategic partnership with the UK is a priority. In the coming years, we look forward to working together in areas such as technology, green energy, security, innovation, We want to strengthen trade as well as cultural ties.”
PM Modi described his meeting with Starmer as ‘very productive’. This was the Prime Minister’s first meeting with Starmer, who defeated Labor Party Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in July.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two leaders are confident that their negotiators will deliver a ‘balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking free trade agreement’.
India will open two new Consulates General – or Deputy High Commissions – in Belfast and Manchester to better serve the Indian diaspora, the statement said.
The External Affairs Ministry also noted that Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of India’s alleged economic offenders living in Britain, whom New Delhi wants to extradite. Among the people India wants to extradite, the most prominent is Vijay Mallya, who was once a big liquor and airline industrialist and has been avoiding extradition for many years. Others include diamond merchant Nirav Modi and cricket administrator Lalit Modi.
–IANS
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