London, Aug 15 (IANS) India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Vikram Doraiswami on Friday said that the two nations need each other in the current volatile world while stressing that the recently concluded comprehensive economic trade agreement will have a significant impact on driving growth forward.
Speaking to IANS in London, Doraiswami stated, “I see huge prospects. I think the UK and India need each other in a particularly volatile world and it is very relevant that we have concluded after a lot of effort, a comprehensive economic trade agreement, which is going to have a significant impact on both countries in driving growth forward. So as you can see, partnerships are also about finding win-win solutions and the India-UK partnership is exactly that.”
Doraiswami also spoke about the recently-signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the UK, calling it the “most-forward looking FTA.” He stated that the India-UK FTA will contribute significantly to the economic growth and potential of India.
“If you see in the last one year, we’ve now actually completed the FTA with the UK. This is our most deep in terms of ambition, most forward-looking Free Trade Agreement. It will contribute significantly to the economic growth and potential of India, including not just through trade, but also through stepping up prospects for partnership around technology, education, etc. We have new universities opening up. Southampton University is the first foreign university to open a campus in India to give our young people new chances to get the best possible education, world standard education, without having to travel abroad for that. We have new opportunities to partner countries like the United Kingdom in cutting edge areas of technology. So, I think exciting days are ahead. All it takes is for us to make the extra effort,” Ambassador Doraswami told IANS.
Signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom in July, the FTA marks a pivotal moment in India-UK relations. The agreement is expected to boost bilateral trade by an estimated USD 34 billion annually.
Doraswami also talked about PM Modi’s address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of 79th Independence Day on Friday. This year’s address marked PM Modi’s 12th consecutive speech on the occasion and it was the longest-ever Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, clocking in at an unprecedented 1 hour and 43 minutes.
“Today on the 79th Independence Day, as you would have all heard from the Prime Minister, the opportunity for India to take steps forward in a number of ways to promote the self reliance of our economy, to strengthen our economic development and growth, to strengthen opportunities for young people, the number of measures that he announced including the upcoming reform of GST by Diwali, the projects around defence in particular jet engine indigenization. An exciting opportunity for India to look ahead as we move towards 2047, centenary of India’s independence or Amrit Kaal.”
–IANS
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