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Boris Johnson begins a two-day visit to India and will meet PM Modi on Apr 22
The First Post news website reported, according to sources familiar with the development, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's two-day visit to India from Thursday is expected to give a fresh push to the proposed free trade agreement, boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and enhance defence ties, and he will not lecture New Delhi on how to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The British prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning on a two-day visit to India. After a series of engagements in Gujarat throughout the day, he will leave for Delhi in the evening.
Sources on Wednesday (Apr 20), a major focus of Johnson's talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on the situation in the Indo-Pacific as the UK is strongly opposed to any kind of coercion in the region.
They said the UK was ready to extend its cooperation in realising Modi's vision of making India a hub for defence manufacturing and that the country was ready for the transfer of technologies for joint production of military hardware.
On the India-UK free trade agreement, they said Johnson's visit will be a staging point for the next round of negotiations that are slated for next week.
According to sources, the talks between Modi and Johnson are expected to further encourage the negotiations by the two sides for an ambitious free trade agreement between the two countries.
Both sides are making efforts to conclude the negotiations by end of this year.
They said issues relating to market access for apples, medical devices, shrimps and legal services have been almost resolved, describing it as good signs for the next stage of discussions.
Boris Johnson leaves home problems behind and heads to strengthen ties with India on April 21
The aim is to have something long-lasting for the next 25 years, said one of the people while emphasising the importance the UK attaches to its ties with India.
The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Modi and Johnson in May last year.
At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year-roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections, among others.
Boris Johnson holds talks with Kurdish PM Barzani in London
The First Post noted that Boris Johnson and Modi will hold extensive talks in Delhi on Friday (Apr 22).
Source: firstpost
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