Muristek
London, April 17
Boris Johnson will become the first British Prime Minister to visit Gujarat when he lands in Ahmedabad this week for a two-day visit to India for "in-depth talks" with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, according to Downing Street.
Johnson's first visit to India as UK Prime Minister will begin on April 21 with a trip to Ahmedabad in Gujarat, which is PM Modi's home state.
Investment announcements in key industries in both the UK and India will take place, Downing Street said in a statement on Saturday.
Johnson will then proceed to New Delhi to meet Modi on April 22, where the focus will be on India-UK strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnership. According to officials on both sides, Johnson will also use his India visit to drive progress in the ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations launched earlier this year.
"My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations — from job creation and economic growth, to energy security and defence," said Johnson. The choice of Gujarat, India's fifth largest state, was linked with it being the ancestral home of around half of the British-Indian diaspora population in the UK.
Both the leaders will hold talks on defence, diplomatic and economic partnership, besides Indo-Pacific, the statement said. —