After holding wide-range discussions with his UK counterpart Keir Starmer and inking a landmark free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met King Charles in Norfolk.

King Charles received PM Modi at the Sandringham House in Norfolk, England. “During their time together, His Majesty was given a tree to be planted this Autumn, inspired by the environmental initiative launched by the Prime Minister, “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, which encourages people to plant a tree in tribute to their mothers,” the Royal Family said in a post on X. 

PM Narendra Modi kicked off his two-day visit to the UK on Wednesday (local time) to expand bilateral ties in defence, trade, and technology.

India-UK FTA inked

PM Modi and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer on Thursday endorsed the new “India-UK Vision 2035” which will steer the bilateral ties for the next 10 years with a focused and time-bound programme of action in key pillars such as economy and growth, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate action and education.

India signed a free trade agreement, officially dubbed as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), with the UK – its 16th trade pact so far – as the country aims to boost bilateral trade and investments.

The deal was signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart Jonathan Reynold in the presence of PM Modi and Starmer.

The FTA is expected to benefit 99 per cent Indian exports from tariff and will make it easier for British firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India, besides boosting the overall trade basket, according to Indian officials.

The deal, firmed up after three years of negotiations, is expected to ensure comprehensive market access for Indian goods across all sectors and India will gain from tariff elimination on about 99 per cent of tariff lines (product categories) covering almost 100 per cent of the trade values, they said.

PM’s Maldives trip ahead

From London, Modi will travel to the Maldives at the invitation of President Mohamed Muizzu in what is being seen as a breakthrough in the ties between the two countries following a spell of frostiness under Muizzu.

During his July 25-26 trip to the Maldives, Modi will hold extensive talks with President Muizzu and inaugurate several India-assisted development projects in the island nation.

The prime minister will also be the guest of honour at the Maldivian Independence Day celebrations on July 26.

“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,” Vikram Misri, foreign secretary, 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.

Misri also mentioned the India-Maldives joint vision for a ‘Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership’ that was finalised last year.

“This joint vision, in a sense, has become the guiding framework for our ties,” he said.