British Prime Minister Boris Johnson the second day of his India visit said that governments are in talk with negotiators to get the bilateral free trade agreement between India and the UK done by Diwali, the Hindu festival celebrated that will fall in the end of October.
The India-UK FTA talks began in January 2022 with an end-of-the-year timeline for an interim pact.
The interim (early harvest agreement) pact aims to achieve up to 65 per cent of coverage for goods and up to 40 per cent coverage for services. By the time the final agreement is inked, the coverage for goods is expected to go up to "90 plus percentage" of goods.
Speaking during a media briefing after holding extensive talks with PM Modi in the areas of defence, trade and clean energy, Johnson said that the ties between India and Britain are one of the defining friendships of our times.
He also announced that the UK government is creating India specific open general export license reducing bureaucracy and delivery times for defence procurement.
The British PM also stated that his government has agreed on a new and expanded defence and security partnership.
Meanwhile, PM Modi informed that during the meeting, the two leaders reviewed progress made in implementation of Roadmap 2030 and also set some goals for future. "Good progress is being made in negotiations for India-UK free trade agreement," he added.
"We emphasised on need for free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in Indo-Pacific," Modi added.
Further, on the issue of Afghanistan's current political scenario after Talibans took control of the government, PM Modi added, "We reiterated our support for peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan." He also said, "It is necessary that Afghan territory is not used to spread terrorism in other countries."
Ahead of the talks, the UK said it will offer India the best of British know-how on building battle-winning aircraft and support the country's requirements for new technology to respond to threats in the Indian Ocean.
In a statement, the British High Commission said the UK will issue an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) to India to cut the delivery period for defence procurement.
The British prime minister arrived in India on Thursday on a two-day visit in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Modi and Johnson in May last year. At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year-roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections among others.
ALSO READ: PM Modi, Boris Johnson to hold high-level talks today; here’s what’s on agenda