In addition to announcing a new reciprocal agreement that will allow 3,000 Indians with college degrees to live and work in the UK each year, India and the UK on Wednesday also reaffirmed their commitment to a free trade agreement (FTA) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British counterpart Rishi Sunak discussed the status of the Roadmap 2030 for bilateral relations.
At a time when the conclusion of an FTA, previously scheduled to be finalised by Diwali, has slowed down due to recent political unrest in the UK, Modi and Sunak, who first met on the fringes of the G20 Summit in Bali, held discussions on collaboration in areas such as trade, mobility, defence, and security.
Sunak, the first person of Asian heritage to hold the position of prime minister in the UK, received congratulations from Modi on his appointment, and the British premier thanked the Indian populace for their "overwhelming response."
Additionally, Modi met separately with the leaders of France's Emmanuel Macron, Australia's Anthony Albanese, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Germany's Olaf Scholz, and Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong. These meetings included discussions of local and international problems, including the conflict in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region.