New Delhi: The India-UK FTA will be in the spotlight as PM Narendra Modi heads to the UK on a two-day official visit where he is expected to meet with his British counterpart Keir Starmer and King Charles. Negotiations for the FTA were finalised on May 6 this year, and reports state that the agreement will be unveiled on July 24. He will be in the UK from July 23-24 and then travel to the Maldives for a state visit from July 25-26.
At a special briefing ahead of his visit, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the FTA would have to go in for “legal scrubbing and other formalities” before both countries formally adopt it. The agreement, which is expected to double bilateral trade in goods and services from $60 billion to $120 billion by 2030, will not come into force immediately, as it will require ratification from both the Indian and British Parliaments, a process that could take close to a year.
Misri said India accords "highest priority" to ensure energy security for its people. He was responding to questions on whether the fresh Western sanctions targeting the Russian energy sector will figure in Modi's talks with Starmer.
Asked about the issue of Khalistani extremism in the UK, Misri said that New Delhi had brought the issue to the attention of its partners in the UK and would continue to do so. “This is a matter of concern not only to us but should be a matter of concern to our partners as well because this impacts social cohesion and social order in these other countries as well.”
Khalistani extremism has remained an irritant in IndiaUK ties. The Indian High Commission has been targeted by extremists in the past, and in March this year, there was a security breach as a Khalistani protester broke through the security cordon and ran towards S Jaishankar as the External Affairs Minister came out of the Chatham House building in London.
Despite such protests and India’s continued insistence on the extradition of Khalistani and other fugitives such as Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya, London has so far not obliged. Asked for any updates on the extradition status of Mallya and Modi, Misri said the legal process to extradite these men and other fugitives was underway in the UK. “We continue to follow the matter very closely,” he said.
On Maldives, Misri discussions would be held on an FTA, an investment pact, and new areas of cooperation, especially in the field of renewable energy.
Ties between India and Maldives have seen some lows in recent times, and Misri stated that Modi’s visit should be seen as a sign that differences had been overcome. “It is a question of working hard at a relationship. There will always be things that will impact or try to intrude on the relationship, but I think this is testimony to the kind of attention that has been paid to the relationship, including at the highest levels. We have continued to work at it, and the result is there for you to see."
