Modi, Sunak agree on early conclusion of 'comprehensive, balanced' India-UK FTA

Sunak said he is excited about what the 'two great democracies' can achieve as they deepen their security, defence and economic partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new counterpart in London, Rishi Sunak on Thursday agreed on the need for early signing of the proposed trade agreement between India and the United Kingdom.

“We will work together to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership. We also agreed on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced FTA (Free Trade Agreement),” Modi tweeted after speaking to Sunak.

Read | UK says has completed most of India trade deal, will only sign once happy

Sunak also stressed on deepening economic partnership between India and the UK.

The phone call between the two prime ministers on Thursday and the proposed meeting in New Delhi between External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and his counterpart in the UK, James Cleverly on Saturday are expected to add momentum to the negotiations between the two sides for the trade agreement.

“The UK and India share so much. I'm excited about what our two great democracies can achieve as we deepen our security, defence and economic partnership in the months & (and) years ahead,” tweeted Sunak, who scripted history this week and took over as the United Kingdom’s first Hindu Prime Minister on Tuesday.

The new British Prime Minister has ancestral roots in pre-Partition undivided India.

As Modi conveyed his best wishes to Sunak on behalf of 1.6 billion Indians, the new British Prime Minister indicated to his counterpart in New Delhi that he was aware of the significance of his moving to 10 Downing Street in London for the South Asian nation. “The Prime Minister said that he was a visual representation of the historic links between the UK and India and intended to build on this relationship to develop ever closer ties between the two nations,” a spokesperson of the British Government said after the phone call.

Modi is likely to have his first bilateral meeting with the new British Prime Minister on the sidelines of the G20 summit, which will be held at Bali in Indonesia next month.

Modi and the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had earlier set Diwali (Oct. 24) as the deadline to conclude the negotiations for the proposed India-UK trade agreement. The negotiators, however, missed the deadline.

“Our relationship with India is hugely important to me; as the world’s largest democracy, India is a natural partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific. It is an economic and tech powerhouse,” Cleverly said ahead of his maiden visit to India as the British Foreign Secretary.

“Our deeper ties will boost both our economies and help to tackle global security challenges.”

The negotiations for the trade deal had come under a shadow after Truss’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman had expressed “concerns” and “reservation” over the possibility of the proposed agreement opening up doors for increased immigration from India to the UK. New Delhi had conveyed to London its displeasure over her remarks.

Braverman had stepped down as the Home Secretary just a few days before Truss had announced her resignation.

Sunak, however, brought her back as his Home Secretary on Tuesday.

Jaishankar and Cleverly were in touch over the past few days, making attempts to end the impasse over negotiations for the trade agreement. They spoke to each other on October 14, as well as shortly after the new British PM was formally appointed on Tuesday.

“Since it (India-UK Roadmap 2030 as agreed by Modi and Johnson) was launched last year, huge progress has been made, including the start of ambitious free trade negotiations, the expansion of our defence and security partnership, including through a visit to India last year by HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Carrier Strike Group (CSG), and joint exercises to enhance cyber security collaboration,” Cleverly was quoted saying in a press-release issued by the British High Commission in New Delhi.