This Article is From Oct 05, 2016

India Committed To Stronger Engagement With UK: Navtej Sarna

India Committed To Stronger Engagement With UK: Navtej Sarna

Indian High Commissioner Navtej Sarna stressed on stronger engagement with the United Kingdom.

London: India's relations with the UK will get stronger in the coming years due to the high level of interest the two governments have in promoting their bilateral strategic ties, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Navtej Sarna has said.

In what would be one of the last few major speeches before he leaves to take up his post as Indian Ambassador to the US next week, Mr Sarna's address at the High Commissioner's Reception for the Conservative Friends of India focussed on the strategic ties between India and the UK.

"India is committed to a stronger engagement with the United Kingdom in the years to come, given the interest levels of the two governments in the major economic initiatives undertaken in India," he told the gathering on the sidelines of the annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Monday.

Senior UK ministers, including foreign secretary Boris Johnson, international trade secretary Liam Fox, communities and local government secretary Sajid Javid, chairman of the Conservative Party Patrick McLoughlin and minister for universities, science, research and innovation Jo Johnson, reiterated their commitment to the Indo-UK partnership at the reception, hosted by Mr Sarna.

Mr Fox remarked that while historical ties and past engagements have been steadfast and strong, it is the shared future that makes the bilateral relationship between India and the UK so important, especially post-Brexit.

He called on the need to review the existing tariff and non-tariff barriers to reap the "phenomenal potential" of India-UK trade relations.

Mr Fox, who will be co-chairing the India-UK Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) later this year, stressed his personal commitment to UK's engagement with India.

Boris Johnson hailed the partnership between India and the UK and the potential of a stronger economic relations between the two countries with India as a "huge market" for British goods.
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