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Ahead of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plan to travel to India this week, a long-delayed trip will seek to shore up trade with the world’s seventh-biggest economy and bolster defense cooperation, as per Bloomberg report.
Boris Johnson on Sunday took to Twitter to share, “this week I’ll be travelling to India, to deepen the long-term partnership between our countries. As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is vital that democracies and friends stick together."
India-UK relations:
Johnson will begin the trip on April 21 in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat state, and then meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the capital New Delhi the following day. Johnson’s trip comes just weeks after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss visited the country in a bid to convince the Modi government to do more to isolate Russia economically after its invasion of Ukraine and join countries in reducing their strategic dependence on Moscow.
This comes in the wake of India avoiding publicly criticizing Moscow over the conflict because the countries have historically kept close ties. Most of India’s weapons are supplied by Russia, and New Delhi and Moscow renewed a 10-year military co-operation deal when Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Modi in December.
Johnson will also use the visit to try to advance negotiations for a free-trade agreement between the nations that started earlier in the year. A deal with India could boost U.K.’s total trade by up to 28 billion pounds ($36.6 billion) annually by 2035, the government estimates.
“My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations – from job creation and economic growth, to energy security and defense," Johnson said.
(With inputs from agencies)