By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], June 6 : British Acting High Commissioner to India, Christina Scott on Tuesday said that while the tenth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations is ongoing, there is a 'joint commitment' from both the United Kingdom and India to double the amount of trade between the two countries by 2030.
"This weekend in Delhi, we are having the 10th round of negotiations. What is clear is that there is a joint commitment from both governments to double the amount of trade between our two counties by 2030. I really hope that the negotiating teams are cracking on with that this week so that we can agree on a modern, forward-looking and ambitious FTA that will benefit both the countries," said the Acting High Commissioner while speaking to ANI.
India and the UK have been negotiating an FTA since January last year, aiming towards a comprehensive pact that is expected to enhance the bilateral trade relationship significantly.
While the 10th round of the negotiations is underway in New Delhi, both countries held their ninth round of talks during April 24-28 this year. They were conducted in a hybrid fashion for which a number of officials from India travelled to London and others attended virtually. During the round, detailed discussions took place across a range of policy areas.
Earlier, during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Hiroshima, Japan, both leaders had a discussion on India-UK FTA.
"The two leaders reviewed their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including taking stock of progress in India-UK FTA negotiations. Leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas, such as trade & investment, science & technology, higher education, and people-to-people relationships," read a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Speaking about the meeting, Scott said that during the meeting, both reasserted their commitment to work together on the FTA.
"When the two Prime Ministers last met in Hiroshima in the margins of the G7 summit, they re-asserted the commitment to working together on an ambitious free trade agreement between our two countries", she said.
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