India, UK to restart trade talks in 2025

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a string of bilateral meetings with Brazilian, French, Indonesian, Chile Presidents as well as British, Italian, Portuguese and Norwegian Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Modi also participated in the concluding third session of the G20 Summit on “Sustainable Development and Energy Transition” where he “underlined the importance of accelerating efforts to ensure a cleaner, more sustainable future for all, including through mainstreaming ‘Varanasi Principles on LiFE’ and initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, One World-One Sun-One Grid and the Global Biofuel Alliance”.

The discussions with his British counterpart Keir Starmer included a joint resolve to resume negotiations with Britain for a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India also raising the “importance of addressing the issue of economic offenders from India in the UK”. Modi also announced the establishment of two new Consulates General of India in the United Kingdom in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Manchester. This was the first meeting of Modi with his British counterpart ever since the Labour government assumed office earlier this year after a sweeping electoral victory. Following the meeting, the British Prime Minister also announced that UK-India trade talks would resume in the New Year and added that “a new trade deal with India will support jobs and prosperity in the UK”.

The bilateral talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saw announcement of a Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 that “will pursue joint collaborations, programmes and initiatives in key sectors of trade and investment, science and technology, new and emerging technologies, clean energy, space, defence, connectivity and people-to-people linkages”. New Delhi said the two leaders — who are also known to share a strong camaraderie — were “aware of the unparalleled potential of the India Italy Strategic partnership” and the two sides decided to “negotiate a Defence Industrial Roadmap and focus on co-production and co-development of defence platforms and equipment.

In his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Modi “commended the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation, including in strategic areas such as defense, space and civil nuclear energy, and committed to accelerating it further with a view to reinforcing their shared commitment to strategic autonomy”. The two leaders also reviewed the progress of cooperation on India’s National Museum project which is being assisted by France.

Modi also had a bilateral meeting with G20 Summit host and Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva. “Held talks with President Lula during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Complimented him on various efforts of Brazil during their G20 Presidency. We took stock of the full range of bilateral ties between our nations and reaffirmed our commitment to improving cooperation in sectors like energy, biofuels, defence, agriculture and more,” Modi said on social media platform X.

He also had another bilateral meeting after that with the President of another South American nation, Chile. “Met the President of Chile Gabriel Boric Font in Rio de Janeiro. India’s ties with Chile are getting stronger across various sectors. Our talks focused on how to deepen relations in pharmaceuticals, technology, space and more. It is gladdening to see Ayurveda gaining popularity in Chile. This is also a sector where ties can gain momentum,” Modi said.

Modi also held his first meeting with the newly elected Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during which the “two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties in the framework of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. Similarly, Modi also had his first meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Luís Montenegro.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Argentina and Australia.

On Modi’s meet with the British Prime Minister, New Delhi said, “Expressing satisfaction at the progress in the bilateral relationship, the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a focus on economy, trade, new and emerging technologies, research and innovation, green finance and people-to-people contacts. Both leaders underlined the importance of resuming the Free Trade Agreement negotiations at an early date and expressed confidence in the ability of the negotiating teams, to address the remaining issues to mutual satisfaction, leading to a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward looking Free Trade Agreement.”

On the meeting with the French President, New Delhi said, “The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advance the India-France Strategic Partnership as well as their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in the Horizon 2047 roadmap and other bilateral declarations. The two leaders commended the strengthening of trade, investment, and technology ties, including in the areas of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence, as well as India France partnership on Digital Public Infrastructure. In this context, the Prime Minister welcomed the initiative of President Macron to organise the forthcoming AI Action Summit in France”.

After the meeting with the new Indonesian President, New Delhi said, “The two leaders discussed cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, defence and security, connectivity, tourism, health, and people-to-people ties. Both leaders noted that India and Indonesia are commemorating 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and called for celebrating the occasion in a befitting manner. The leaders also exchanged views on global and regional issues”.

On the meeting with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, New Delhi said, “Following up on their discussions in Puglia the two leaders reiterated their commitment to advancing the India-Italy Strategic Partnership and announced a Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 which outlines their vision for the next five years. The two sides will hold regular ministerial and official dialogues across numerous domains. Co-production, collaborations between respective industries and institutions, innovation and mobility would provide momentum and further depth to the bilateral partnership and benefit the economies and people of both countries.

The Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 stipulates strengthening of political dialogue, economic cooperation and investments, connectivity, IT, innovation and start-ups, space, energy, defence and security. On defence cooperation it stipulates that the two sides “welcome interactions between respective Armed Forces in the framework of Italy’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific Region, aimed at increasing interoperability and cooperation, including negotiations of any useful arrangement supporting such interactions and explore avenues of enhanced partnerships and dialogue among public and private stakeholders, focusing on technology collaboration, co-production and co-development of defence platforms and equipment”.

In the meeting with Portuguese counterpart Luís Montenegro, the two leaders “discussed bilateral cooperation in various fields. They underscored the growing potential for collaboration in new and emerging areas such as IT and digital technologies, renewable energy, startups and innovation, and mobility of professionals and skilled workers”.

At the meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store, “both Prime Ministers took stock of the progress in bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in various fields, while noting that the signing of the India - European Free Trade Association - Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (India-EFTA-TEPA) was an important milestone in bilateral relations”.