“I think it's a good marriage. It will be long lasting. And I see in the future, the bilateral trade between the two countries doubling in the next five years,” said India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal at IGF London this week.
Joined on the India Global Forum stage by his counterpart in the UK, Jonathan Reynolds, the minister highlighted the “stability and predictability” that the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded between the two leaders will bring to the bilateral relationship.
Both ministers participated in an insightful IGF session entitled ‘Agreement to Action in the UK-India FTA’, where they shared some behind-the-scenes anecdotes from their final discussions during at walk at Hyde Park in London to conclude the negotiations last month.
Reynolds shared: “I believe that India is one of the most exciting countries in the world, and actually one of the most important; with the problems we face globally, I can't see any way to fix those without India playing a leading role.”
IGF London opened on a solemn note with a minute’s silence in commemoration of the tragic loss of lives impacting both nations and beyond in the Ahmedabad-London Air India plane crash.
IGF Founder and Chairman Manoj Ladwa said: “It was a painful reminder of the human threads that weave the relationship between our two great nations. On board were students, professionals, tourists, families, each one a living example of the bridge that connects our nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones.”
“Their loss reminds us of what's at stake and deepens our resolve to make the UK-India partnership not just stronger but more humane, more responsive and more purposeful.”
The focus will now shift to science and technology, with a keynote by Lord Patrick Vallance, UK Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation. In conversation with leading Indian and UK innovators, the forum will explore breakthroughs in pandemic preparedness, quantum tech, energy transition, and digital public infrastructure, areas where UK’s research depth meets India’s innovation edge.
*Info: India Global Forum
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