PM Modi to visit Britain and Maldives on four-days trip
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a four-day visit to the United Kingdom and the Maldives from July 23 in a high-stakes diplomatic tour focused on improving bilateral ties and signing the landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Britain.
The PM’s visit to the Maldives is significant as it comes after the bilateral ties had come under severe strain after President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in November 2023.
In the first leg of the trip, the PM will visit the UK from July 23 to July 24, where he will sign the FTA. The agreement is poised to impact 99 per cent of Indian exports to the UK by reducing tariffs, thereby facilitating British exports such as whisky and cars to India. This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to the UK.
“PM Modi will hold bilateral discussions with his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer. Besides, he is also expected to call on King Charles III,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement.
“The two sides will also review the progress of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a specific focus on trade and economy, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate, health, education and people-to-people ties,” the MEA said.