New Delhi
India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has embarked on a two-day visit to the UK to accelerate talks on a long-pending bilateral free trade agreement, his office said on Wednesday.
Launched in January 2022, the FTA negotiations between India and the UK were set to conclude the same year, but despite more than a dozen formal rounds, talks have stalled over issues like tariffs, rules of origin and mobility for services professionals.
A deal-in-principle was announced in May by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart, Keir Starmer.
Goyal’s UK visit comes in the “backdrop of the announcement” and “aims to accelerate bilateral engagements and harness emerging opportunities,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.
