LONDON: Prime Minister Theresa May’s India visit next month will give a fillip to bilateral economic and commercial ties, a top Indian diplomat here has said and asserted that New Delhi is keen on working with the UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced.
May is scheduled to arrive in India on November 6 for a three-day visit, which will include a bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to India, following the highly successful visit (to the UK) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, will give a fillip to economic and commercial relations between both countries,” India’s Acting High Commissioner to the UK Dinesh Patnaik said. “India-UK economic relations are strong and vibrant, but there still remains considerable potential that needs to be tapped. India is keen to work with UK to ensure that the positive effects of Brexit are enhanced and negative effects are minimised,” he said. The envoy made the remarks while addressing a session on ‘Going Global: Doing Business in India’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Brexit and Global Expansion Summit and UK India Business Council (UKIBC) in Greenwich yesterday. The details of May’s first visit to India as Prime Minister are still being finalised, with Bengaluru expected as the second city besides New Delhi she is likely to visit. In the Indian capital, she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit along with Modi. The two leaders are expected to hold their bilateral talks over a working lunch on November 7. May will be accompanied by her international trade minister, Liam Fox, who will be attending the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). The UK delegation will also include representatives of small and medium businesses from regions across the UK and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit. According to official sources, India will be keen to cover a range of issues including discussions on a potential free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK after Britain officially leaves the European Union (EU) and a more nuanced approach from the UK on cross-border terrorism.—PTI
