India, UK seek to add fresh momentum to trade pact

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak sought to add fresh momentum to the negotiation for the proposed trade agreement between India and the United Kingdom on Wednesday.

Modi and Sunak expressed satisfaction at the state of the wide-ranging India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and progress on the Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations. The two leaders appreciated the importance of working together in bilateral and multilateral forums including the G-20 and the Commonwealth.

The discussions touched upon important sectors of collaboration such as trade, mobility, defence and security, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

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Modi had a bilateral meeting with Sunak on the sideline of the G-20 summit at Bali in Indonesia. It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders.

Modi also had similar meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. On Tuesday, the PM had a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.

According to a press release issued by the British PM’s office, Modi and Sunak “looked forward to the UK-India free trade deal” and agreed that the deal would have the potential to unlock investment and increase jobs in both countries as well as "expand our deep cultural links".

The release said Sunak had passed on his thanks to Modi for the overwhelming response of Indians to his appointment as the UK prime minister.

Modi and then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had on April 22 this year set October 24 as the deadline to conclude the negotiations for the proposed deal. The two sides completed talks on 16 of 26 proposed chapters of the agreement.