April 16, 2024
1 min read

Indian team to head to UK to resolve FTA issues

On March 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK counterpart Rishi Sunak reaffirmed their commitment to work towards an “early conclusion of a mutually beneficial FTA…reports Asian Lite News

A team from India’s commerce ministry will head to United Kingdom (UK) this week as both sides look to iron out outstanding issues pertaining to the proposed Foreign Trade Agreement (FTA) between them, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on April 15.

“A team from India is going this week to the UK and some are already there. This is a continuation of the 14th round of talks,” Barthwal added.

Separately, the ministry on April 15 said, India and UK have made “good progress and majority of difficult issues are towards resolution.”

“A couple of key priority issues to seal the deal are being ironed out to have a balanced outcome,” the ministry added.

Negotiations between India and the UK for a trade agreement began on January 2022 with an initial deadline of Diwali 2022. There are 26 chapters in the pact, which include goods, services, investments, and intellectual property rights.

On March 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK counterpart Rishi Sunak reaffirmed their commitment to work towards an “early conclusion of a mutually beneficial FTA.”

Both sides are still looking to agree on matters around market access with one of the sticking points being London’s reluctance over New Delhi’s stand that British automakers have to step up the utilisation of local components in their vehicles to 45 percent to avail of concessions in India.

Recently, a team from UK visited India from March 5-7 to negotiate on outstanding issues. For the proposed FTA between India and European Union (EU), the eight round of talks is being planned in May or June 2024 in Brussels. India and EU completed the seventh round of negotiations in February 2024.

ALSO READ-UAE organises iftar meals in Philippines

Previous Story

Sunak’s absence marks significant turnout dip in Eid celebration

Next Story

Pak delegation in US to negotiate fresh loan with IMF

Latest from -Top News

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

BNP ramps up poll demand

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among

Saudi backs India’s strategic outreach

In a series of engagements, the Indian delegation met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State Adel Al-Jubeir and other senior officials. A high-profile Indian all-party parliamentary delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay

India clears stealth fighter project

New execution model paves way for private sector involvement in India’s ambitious stealth aircraft programme; Army showcases next-gen drone warfare systems. In a landmark decision bolstering India’s defence self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath

ASEAN lauds India’s firm stance on terrorism

The ASEAN Secretary-General reaffirmed the bloc’s resolve to deepen collaboration with India—a comprehensive strategic partner—in security and counter-terrorism efforts. The Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UK all set to host COP26 summit in November

The COP26 President Alok Sharma said: “The COP26 summit in

UK Covid 19 cases surge to four-month high

Officials estimate that the Delta variant, which they believe is