PM Modi, British Counterpart Rishi Sunak Meet Today, Hold Talks On Bilateral Relations

In the three-day visit to Hiroshima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held productive talks with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak today i.e. on Sunday. During the meeting, both leaders reviewed bilateral strategic partnerships, including progress in India-UK FTA negotiations.

PM Modi meets UK PM Sunak

The two leaders also agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas such as trade and investment and science and technology.

PM Modi and his British counterpart met on the sidelines of the summit of the G7 advanced economies here in Hiroshima.

Both leaders talked to boost bilateral bonds

Taking t Twitter, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) wrote, “A boost to – Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. PM @narendramodi held productive talks with PM @RishiSunak of the UK in Hiroshima. The two leaders reviewed their Strategic Partnership, including taking stock of progress in India-UK FTA negotiations.”

Leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas, such as trade & investment, science & technology, higher education, and people-to-people relationship, it said.

Also Read: PM Modi Pays Floral Tributes To People Who Died In Nuclear Attack At Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations

India and the UK have been negotiating an FTA since January last year, with a goal towards a comprehensive pact that is expected to significantly enhance the bilateral trading relationship worth an estimated 34 billion pounds in 2022.

Last month, both leaders concluded the ninth round of India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with detailed discussions across a range of policy areas.

Recently, Britain’s Chief Negotiator for the FTA – Harjinder Kang – was appointed the country’s new Trade Commissioner to South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, based in Mumbai.

According to official UK government statistics, India was the UK’s 12th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022, accounting for 2.1 per cent of total UK trade.

The two leaders shared a tight hug before their talks.