UK PM Boris Johnson to commence his 2-day India visit from Gujarat on April 21

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to arrive in India on a two-day visit this month. For his visit to India, which is confirmed for April 21-22, Johnson is going to land in Gujarat before proceeding to the national capital Delhi. This would be Johnson's first visit to India. In 2021, two plans for his visit to India were cancelled. Invited as Chief Guest on Republic Day, Johnson could not make it to India due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Then, again in April, the UK Prime Minister decided against visiting India despite the plan, due to the country witnessing the second wave of the pandemic. 

The British Premier, however, met his Indian counterparts on the sidelines of the Glassgow Climate Summit later in the year.  The meeting between PM Modi and Johnson at the COP26 summit was the first in-person interaction between the two leaders ever since the British premier's visit to India was cancelled twice.  PM Modi back then extended an invitation to Johnson to visit India, which duly accepted, saying that he would be planning his visit "soon". 

Boris Johnson in India on Apr 21-22

Boris Johnson's visit follows the successful completion of four out of 26 chapters in the ongoing India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Johnson are expected to take stock of the negotiations and mandate a timeline for the possible completion of the process, initially set for the end of this year.

Closer defence ties that overcome some “legacy issues” around technology transfer and make use of the 'Make in India' initiative are seen as an important aspect of future India-UK relations, against the backdrop of India's historic defence equipment ties with Russia. 

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to feature strongly during the meeting, but officials pointed out that other regional matters such as the situation in Afghanistan and the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt will be high on the agenda of the bilateral visit.

UK Foreign Secretary visits India

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss' visited India earlier this month. The Foreign Secretary was in India as part of a "wider diplomatic push" amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar claimed that there was a ‘campaign’ to target India over buying Russian oil, Truss pointed out that while Europe may be purchasing this oil now, countries have expressed serious intent to bring down their dependence on Russia.

This was her second visit to the country as Foreign Secretary, following one in October, and her third as Secretary of State in 13 months.

(With agency inputs)