Prime Minister Narendra Modi embark on a visit to the United Kingdom and the Maldives from today, July 23, to July 26.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a crucial visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday, with the formal signing of the landmark India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) expected to be the centrepiece of his two-day trip.
PM Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and is also scheduled to meet King Charles III during his July 23–24 stay. Starmer is set to host him at Chequers, the British prime minister’s official country residence near London.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is likely to sign the free trade agreement alongside his UK counterpart Jonathan Reynolds and the two prime ministers, capping three years of hard bargaining. Britain sees the deal as its biggest trade win since Brexit and hopes it will inject fresh momentum into defence, research and tech partnerships with India.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that “last-minute work” was underway to seal the deal, which is set to benefit nearly 99 per cent of India’s exports by removing tariffs and will help British firms export products like whisky and cars more easily to India.
Meanwhile, the British authorities are learnt to have ramped up security measures to prevent any disruption by pro-Khalistan groups during the visit. Security agencies have reportedly been sensitised to New Delhi’s concerns, with special instructions to avert protests or breaches.
From Britain, PM Modi will travel to the Maldives where he will grace the island nation’s Independence Day celebrations as “guest of honour”. During his July 25-26 trip to the Maldives, the Prime Minister will hold extensive talks with President Mohamed Muizzu and inaugurate a number of India-assisted development projects in the island nation.
“The prime minister’s state visit also happens to be the first state visit of a head of government that President Muizzu is hosting in his presidency since he assumed the office in November 2023,” Misri said.
“The Maldives is a very close partner in our neighbourhood, a very important partner in India’s Neighbourhood First policy, and as part of the MAHASAGAR vision of India, which is Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions,” he added.
The Prime Minister’s visit to the Maldives is being viewed as a crucial step towards resetting strained bilateral relations that took a hit after Mohamed Muizzu, widely seen as pro-China, assumed office in November 2023.