New Delhi: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday night arrived in India on her first bilateral visit after taking charge. May on Monday insisted upon strengthening the trade ties with India and pronounced that the travel to the UK will be made easier for Indians.
Talking at India-UK TECH summit in Delhi on Monday, Prime Minister May said Britain would offer expedited clearance at the UK borders under a Registered Traveler Scheme to business travellers from India.
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Prime Minister May said that Britain was working on economic and social reforms and that Indian “investment is helping us diversifying our economy”.
Calling the UK a “great friend”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he expected his ‘Make in India’ initiative to form an important aspect of the ties between the two countries.
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“It is vital that India and UK, two countries linked by history, work together to define the knowledge economy of the 21st century,” PM Modi said.
Later in the day, PM Modi and May will hold bilateral talks. The two leaders are expected to discuss a possible Free Trade Deal between the countries now that Britain is preparing to leave the EU.
“Both PMs will have a number of issues to discuss and clearly PM Modi will want to know the impact Brexit may have on India. These are early days but I can tell you that this indicates that Britain wants to forge a stronger, fruitful and prosperous relationship than ever with India”, said Shailesh Vara, Conservative MP in the UK.
Although Britain cannot sign any bilateral trade deals until it has left the European Union — most likely in 2019 — May’s visit is seen as signalling a desire to get the ball rolling as early as possible.
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The UK PM will also travel to IT city Bengaluru on Tuesday and visit manufacturing plants before flying back to London. She is also expected to meet the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.