PM Modi has one-on-one with Sunak, Kishida & Meloni; Talk on Free Trade Agreement

PM Sunak reiterated the UK's ambition to deliver a landmark trade deal that benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows our trade in both goods and services.

PM Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Joe Biden

NEW DELHI:  India’s G20 Presidency is a landmark in many ways — from Delhi Declaration to induction of African Union as a permanent member to a significant move forward in clean energy, food safety and announcement of India-Middle East-Europe connectivity corridor

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Saturday had key bilateral meetings with three heads of governments on the sidelines of G20 summit meetings. These included British PM Rishi Sunak, his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and Japan PM Fumio Kishida. Modi and Sunak are reported to have discussed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which are nearing conclusion. “The two leaders had a productive conversation about the UK-India FTA. PM Sunak reiterated UK’s ambition to deliver a landmark trade deal, which benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows our trade in both goods and services. They agreed that negotiating teams would continue to work at pace towards an FTA,” said a British High Commission spokesperson.

“It was great to have met Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. We discussed ways to deepen trade linkages and boost investment. India and UK will keep working for a prosperous and sustainable planet,’’ said PM Modi.

 PM Modi holds bilateral meetings on the sidelines of G20
Summit with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak

India and Japan are partners in Quad and PM Kishida has come to India for a second time this year. The two leaders held bilateral talks on Saturday. “Held productive talks with PM Kishida. We took stock of India-Japan bilateral ties and the ground covered during India’s G20 Presidency and Japan’s G7 Presidency. We are eager to enhance cooperation in connectivity, commerce and other sectors,” said PM Modi.

The PM also had a bilateral meeting with Italian PM Meloni. “I had an excellent discussion with PM Meloni. Our talks covered various sectors including trade, defence, emerging technologies and much more. India and Italy will continue to work together for global prosperity,” he said.

On Friday, Modi had three bilateral meetings beginning with Mauritian PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina and US President Joe Biden. Modi is expected to have close to 15 bilateral meetings before the conclusion of the Summit on Sunday, which includes a working lunch with French President, Emmanuel Macron.

THE DELHI DECLARATION

•  UKRAINE WAR: Said Use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. Reiterated national positions and resolutions adopted at the UNSC and the UNGA and underscored that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety
•  TERRORISM: Condemned terrorism in all forms and manifestations, including those on the basis of xenophobia, racism, or in the name of religion or belief
•  RELIGION:  Deplored all acts of religious hatred against persons… without prejudice to domestic legal frameworks, including against religious symbols and holy books
•  GLOBAL ECONOMY: Called for a strong, sustainable and inclusive growth as an answer to uneven recovery the world has seen from the pandemic-infused plunder
•  CROSSBORDER PAYMENTS: Resolved to promote faster, cheaper, more transparent & inclusive cross-border payments as envisaged in the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments
•  CLIMATE: Agreed to accelerate clean, sustainable, just, affordable and inclusive energy transitions for sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth 
•  CLIMATE FINANCE:  To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, developing countries will require approximately $4 trillion annually by 2030
•  AGRICULTURE: Committed to facilitating “open, fair, predictable and rules-based” trade in agriculture, food and fertilisers and not impose export curbs in line with WTO rules
•  GENDER:  Committed to closing gender gaps, promoting full, equal, effective women’s  participation in the economy as decision-makers 
•  CORRUPTION: Reaffirmed commitment to zero tolerance for corruption; reaffirmed support to enhance efforts to seize, confiscate and return criminal proceeds to victims and states
•  SKILLS: Committed to addressing skill gaps, promoting decent work and ensuring inclusive social protection policies for all to effectively addressing global skills for sustainable and inclusive economic development 
•  CRYPTO ASSETS:  Endorsed the Financial Stability Board’s recommendations on regulation, supervision and oversight of crypto assets to mitigate risks associated with such an ecosystem.
•  EDUCATION: Recognized importance of investment in supporting human capital, and foundational learning -- literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills as the primary building block for education and employment