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Boris Johnson will become the first British prime minister to visit Gujarat when he lands in Ahmedabad next week for a two-day visit to India for in-depth talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, according to Downing Street.
Johnson’s first visit to India as United Kingdom prime minister will begin on April 21 with a trip to Ahmedabad in Gujarat, which is Prime Minister Modi’s home state.
Investment announcements in key industries in both the UK and India will take place, Downing Street said in a statement on Saturday.
Johnson will then proceed to New Delhi to meet Modi on April 22, where the focus will be on India-UK strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnership.
According to officials on both sides, Johnson will also use his India visit to drive progress in the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations launched earlier this year.
‘My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations from job creation and economic growth, to energy security and defence,’ said Johnson, ahead of the visit.
As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is vital that democracies and friends stick together. India, as a major economic power and the world’s largest democracy, is a highly valued strategic partner for the UK in these uncertain times, he said.
While in Ahmedabad, Johnson is scheduled to meet with leading businesses and discuss the UK and India’s thriving commercial, trade and people links.
The choice of Gujarat, India’s fifth largest state, was linked with it being the ancestral home of around half of the British-Indian diaspora population in the UK.
In Gujarat, the prime minister is expected to announce major investment in key industries in both the UK and India, boosting jobs and growth at home, as well as new collaboration on cutting-edge science, health and technology, the Downing Street statement said.
The prime minister will then travel to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Modi on Friday (22nd April).
The leaders will hold in-depth talks on the UK and India’s strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnership, aimed at bolstering our close partnership and stepping up security co-operation in the Indo-Pacific, the statement said.
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks, which will move into their third round later this month, are expected to result in a deal predicted to boost the UK’s total trade by up to 28 billion pounds ($36 billion) annually by 2035 and increase incomes across the UK by up to 3 billion pounds ($3.9 billion).
It emerged earlier this week that at the end of the first two rounds, four out of 26 chapters have been agreed and there has been significant progress in the remaining 22 chapters of the FTA.
The two leaders are expected to mandate a timeline for the possible completion of the process, initially set for the end of this year.
