British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to India this week on a much-delayed trip to boost trade with the world’s seventh-largest economy and boost defense cooperation.
Johnson will begin his trip on April 21 from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, the capital of the state of Gujarat, and then meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the capital New Delhi the next day.
Johnson’s trip comes just weeks after Foreign Minister Liz Tras’s visit to the country in an effort to persuade the Monti government to do more to isolate Russia financially after its invasion of Ukraine and the countries reduce their strategy of dependence on Moscow.
“As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from authoritarian states, it is vital that democracies and friends remain united,” Johnson said in a Twitter post.
New Delhi has avoided publicly criticizing Moscow for the conflict because the countries have historically maintained close ties. Most of India’s weapons are sourced from Russia and New Delhi, and Moscow renewed a 10-year military cooperation agreement when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Monti in December. India is more concerned about China, with which it clashed over its disputed borders in the Himalayas in 2020, and wants to keep Moscow close to it, given Russia’s friendly relationship with Beijing.
Johnson will also use the visit to try to advance negotiations between the nations on a free trade agreement that began earlier this year. An agreement with India could boost total UK trade by up to 28 28 billion ($ 36.6 billion) a year by 2035, according to government estimates.
“My visit to India will offer things that really matter to the people of both our nations – from job creation and economic growth to energy security and defense,” Johnson said.
The trip is Johnson’s first since becoming prime minister in 2019. He was originally scheduled to visit the country in April last year, but that trip was canceled after a Covid-19 outbreak in India fueled by a new strain of the virus. . Johnson was then criticized for being slow to add India to the UK red list of travel, which would bar entry from India.
The UK government did add India to the list of entry bans shortly after the cancellation of Johnson’s trip, but the variant had already prevailed in the UK and spread quickly.
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
