UK PM Boris Johnson to visit India on April 21-22

NEW DELHI: United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson will be visiting India on April 21 and 22. This will be his first visit since he took office at Downing Street. PM Narendra Modi had extended an invite to him and the two are expected to hold bilateral trade talks. PM Johnson is also scheduled to travel to Gujarat during his visit.

India and the United Kingdom enjoy a long and historical relationship which was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK Virtual Summit in 2021. The prime ministers will review implementation of the Roadmap 2030 and set their vision for further intensifying cooperation across the full spectrum of bilateral ties. 

They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. This visit follows the completion of four out of the 26 chapters in the ongoing India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

The third round of official negotiations for the FTA are likely to be held soon. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to come up for discussions too, besides talks on defence, security and education. PM Johnson was earlier expected to come to India as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2021, but a surge in Covid-19 cases led to that trip being called off. Modi and Johnson had met in November last year, on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.