India and Britain have completed twelve rounds of negotiations on a free trade agreement.
London:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told lawmakers on Monday that he had held “warm and productive” discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, as he briefed the British Parliament on his recent visit to New Delhi for the Indian government. led G20 summit.
In his address to the House of Commons after his first visit to India as British Prime Minister, the 43-year-old leader began by highlighting his and his wife Akshata Murty’s Indian connections and financial interests in India.
In his detailed parliamentary statement, Mr Sunak then highlighted his three main objectives for the visit to India, including increasing diplomatic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the conflict in Ukraine, climate action and strengthening ties with India.
“I have had warm and productive conversations with Prime Minister Modi about strengthening our relationship across defence, technology and a free trade deal between our nations,” Sunak said.
India and Britain have completed 12 rounds of negotiations on a free trade deal, which both sides say will significantly strengthen the GBP 36 billion bilateral trade partnership. While in India, Mr Sunak told reporters that the pact had not yet been fully agreed and that he would “not rush things”.
“For the record, let me state that, as is publicly known, I and my family are of Indian descent. My wife and her family are Indian citizens with financial interests in India,” Mr Sunak told the House of Commons, referring to Murty’s statements. shares in Infosys – the software giant co-founded by her father Narayana Murthy.
Mr Sunak pointed out that even as most G20 leaders met in Delhi in a spirit of cooperation, one leader was missing from the summit.
“Putin has lacked the courage to confront his G20 colleagues day in and day out. “His actions are causing terrible suffering in Ukraine, violating the UN Charter, threatening European security and disrupting global energy supplies… Leaders are united in addressing the human suffering caused by Putin’s war,” he said.
On his other key priority at the summit, he stressed that Britain is seen as a world leader on climate issues.
“At the G20 I committed a record amount of over £1.6 billion to the Green Climate Fund, the largest international climate pledge Britain has ever made,” he said.
Against the backdrop of revelations in the British media over the weekend about the arrest of a parliamentary researcher on suspicion of spying for China, Sunak told MPs he had met Prime Minister Li Qiang on the sidelines of the New Delhi summit to discuss such actions to condemn.
“I emphasized to Prime Minister Li that actions that seek to undermine British democracy are completely unacceptable and will never be tolerated. I also emphasized Britain’s unyielding commitment to human rights, and I was clear about the importance of maintaining stability and international law as the key condition.” basis for stable relations,” he said.
During questions from MPs, Sunak was asked about the case of British Sikh activist Jagtar Johal, who is in an Indian prison on serious charges. The British Prime Minister confirmed that he had raised the issue during his talks with the Indian counterpart and that Britain “remains committed to a resolution” to the matter.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
