PM Modi, Sunak agree on 'early conclusion' of Free Trade Agreement
According to Sunak’s office, the leaders agreed to remain in close contact as they anticipated further progress in the FTA talks, now in their 14th round of negotiations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Tuesday (March 12) when they welcomed the “thriving” bilateral partnership and progress made in the ongoing negotiations towards securing a “historic and comprehensive" India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that benefits both countries.
During the telephonic conversation, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment towards strengthening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, a statement in New Delhi said.
'Good conversation'
In a post on his X (Twitter) handle, PM Modi said, "Had a good conversation with PM @RishiSunak. We reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and work for early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement."
A Downing Street readout of the call noted that Sunak and Modi agreed on the importance of securing a “historic and comprehensive deal” that benefits both countries and reiterated the importance of an “ambitious” outcome for bilateral trade, which is currently worth around GBP 36 billion a year.
14th round of negotiations
According to Sunak’s office, the leaders agreed to remain in close contact as they anticipated further progress in the FTA talks, now in their 14th round of negotiations.
“The leaders welcomed the thriving partnership between the UK and India and discussed recent progress on Free Trade Agreement negotiations,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“They agreed on the importance of securing a historic and comprehensive deal that benefits both countries. The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of reaching an ambitious outcome on goods and services. They agreed to remain in close contact and looked forward to further progress on trade talks,” the spokesperson said.
Holi greetings
The statement from New Delhi also noted that the two leaders expressed satisfaction over the progress made under the "Roadmap 2030" in diverse areas including trade, investment, defence, security, emerging technologies and others.
"They assessed positively the progress made towards early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement," it said.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest and agreed to remain in touch and exchanged greetings on the upcoming festive occasion of Holi, the statement added.