British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday that he had a conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the Free Trade Agreement during the G20 Summit in Indonesia.
During his first address at the British parliament, Sunak was questioned about his meeting with various global leaders and he responded by saying that the government will not “sacrifice quality for speed”.
“When it comes to trade deals, whoever they may be with, what I won’t do is sacrifice quality for speed. I think it is important that we take the time to get trade deals right. This Government believes wholeheartedly in the power and the benefits of free trade, it’s something that we will champion around the world,” Sunak said while responding to questions from Labour Party’s Keir Starmer.
“I did discuss the free trade agreement with India and both the Prime Minister [Modi] and I committed our teams to work as quickly as we can to see if we can bring a successful conclusion to those negotiations,” he added when he was asked by multiple MPs about the meeting with Modi.
The Free Trade Agreement between the UK and India will enable both countries to boost trade and investments. While the agreement has not been finalised, it is expected to be completed by 2023.
Earlier, Sunak gave the green signal to 3000 visas for young Indian professionals to live and work in the UK each year. This was the first scheme of its kind and Sunak hailed it as a symbol of friendship between the two nations and said that it will enable young people from both countries to pursue their dreams.
