PM Modi dials British PM Boris Johnson, discusses COVID-19 vaccine, Trade & Security

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held discussion with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The discussion was held in the context of a roadmap for the ties between the two countries for the next decade. Issues ranging from COVID-19 to trade & investment, defence & security, to climate change, were discussed between the two leaders. PM Modi took to Twitter to apprise the nation about his discussion with Johnson.

Thanking PM Modi, the British Prime Minister also expressed his pleasure in having a conversation with PM Modi as he said he looked forward to deepening the ties with India.

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UK India Business Council (UKIBC) which released its report in October has shown encouraging findings despite the severely challenged situation due to Pandemic, the global economic slowdown and the Brexit. The UKIBC has experienced increasing interest from companies in both countries.

In July, the UK and India had agreed to explore opportunities for expanding and deepening our trade relationship. Enhanced Trade Partnership as the first step on a wider roadmap for a deeper trade partnership. It was stated that the Enhanced Trade Partnership could be the first step towards a wider roadmap for a deeper trade partnership, thereafter, subject to its progress, there could be further free trade agreements in the future.

According to a UK Government press release on July 24 this year, the UK’s International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena also raised the ambition to remove barriers for businesses across a range of sectors including food and drink, healthcare and life sciences, IT and data, chemicals and services.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UK secretary of state for international trade Elizabeth Truss had co-chaired the Joint Economic and Trade Committee and discussed the limited trade agreement to lower tariffs on a small set of goods apart from easing rules for select services to create a build-up for a free trade agreement.

Boris Johnson Hails India's vaccine efforts

Two months back, addressing the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson credited India's role in the manufacture and access to one of the most promising Coronavirus vaccine candidates currently undergoing trials. Talking about the partnership between UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Serum Institute of India, Johnson emphasised on the importance of equitable access to any successful vaccine, adding that the health of every country depends on the whole world having access to a safe and effective vaccine, wherever a breakthrough might occur.

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