PM arrives in UK, Economy and Terrorism on top priorty
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday landed at the Heathrow airport in the United Kingdom and was received by UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson. Modi is scheduled to have a breakfast meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May at around 9 am (local time).
Boris Johnson expressed how he was "excited" about the developing India-UK bilateral trade and that Modi’s visit would help build on "huge economic advantages".
"..Thanks to our shared history, we have a living bridge between us and now we want to build on the incredible tech sector where both India and the UK are making giant strides together," Johnson said in a press statement.
"My visit to London presents another opportunity for both countries to infuse fresh momentum to this growing bilateral engagement. I will be focusing on enhancing India-UK partnership in the areas of healthcare, innovation, digitisation, electric mobility, clean energy, and cybersecurity," Modi said, according to PTI.
Issues related to terrorism and economic offenders would be top on the agenda of bilateral engagements and multilateral discussions in the UK. Narendra Modi's visit to the UK will also emphasise boosting the India-UK partnership in the technology space.
Set for a hectic day of official programmes today, PM Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May are expected to discuss a wide range of topics of mutual importance, including cross-border terrorism, visas, immigration and separatism.
As the UK would face political and economic instability due to Brexit, the bilateral talks between India and the UK would be of immense importance.
"Economic offender issues will be discussed in the visit along with some of the cases being monitored by the court. Terrorism will also be discussed”, said India's High Commissioner to United Kingdom Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha.
“UK's investment in India's was earlier in number one and now is second after Japan. So, we in the true sense are bilaterally related”, Sinha further added.
According to the Indian High Commissioner to UK, to facilitate the deportation of about 100,000 illegal Indian immigrants in the UK to India, a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which had expired in 2014, will be officially renewed to consider biometric and other expansions in the field, along with a series of nearly a dozen MoUs across diverse sectors.
Executive chef of St. James Court Taj Hotel in Buckingham Gate Shenoy Karmani has been appointed to prepare the breakfast for the Prime Minister's bilateral meeting and lunch for the on-going CHOGM summit, said an ANI report.
Modi would also have a brief stopover in Germany to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on April 20 while on his way back home. Both the leaders will exchange views on a number of bilateral, regional and international issues.
Here are the top 10 developments around PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom, his engagements with Nordic nations, and his Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath global talk session:
1. PM Narendra Modi’s key UK events on the watchlist: The prime minister will take part in Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be hosted by the UK government at St James Palace. The meetings of the Commonwealth Heads of Government usually take place every two years which aims to shape the organisation's agenda for future. The India-UK CEOs Forum will also be held today during this visit. And the United Kingdom will formally express their willingness to take part in the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as the newest member.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson | Photo credit: @PMOIndia (twitter)
2. Modi to hold talks on 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath': The Prime Minister will hold a Q&A session with 1,500 members of the Indian community at central London venue during his much-talked-about diaspora event, "Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath", which is considered as the most important highlight of the "Living Bridge" theme of the India-UK bilateral visit. Modi will address the questions from across the world which have already been received via social media and other virtual platforms.
3. Interactions with UK PM Theresa May: Narendra Modi will not hold just one but two meetings with his British counterpart Theresa May before they begin with formal deliberations as part of the multilateral Commonwealth Summit. India-UK technological partnership will be the major highlight of his interaction with May in the second meeting at the Francis Crick Institute in London, where a new India-UK Technical Alliance will be among a series of declarations.
Prime Minister @narendramodi reached London, where he will take part in the @Commonwealth18, hold talks with PM @theresa_may and attend various programmes. He was welcomed by @BorisJohnson, UK's Foreign Secretary. pic.twitter.com/kGGcoBYLzF
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 18, 2018
4. Modi to attend an event to be hosted by Prince Charles: At 11 pm (local time) PM Modi’s royal welcome will include his visit to Science Museum in London to attend an exhibition on '5000 Years of Science and Innovation' where he will interact with Indian-origin and other scientists and innovators based ithe n UK. This event will be hosted by Prince Charles to launch the new Ayurvedic Centre of Excellence, aimed at creating a first-of-its-kind global network for evidence-based research on yoga and Ayurveda. During this event, the heir to the British throne will drive up in a Tata Motors’ first-ever electric Jaguar to signify the India-UK technical cooperation. The event will telecast live globally.
Day not yet over! Midnight meeting of PM @narendramodi with UK's Foreign Secretary @BorisJohnson at the airport immediately on arrival finally draws curtain to an action-packed day. pic.twitter.com/AkVCyEcJWh
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) April 17, 2018
5. Special honour by Queen Elizabeth: Mr Modi will also be honoured in a private audience with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, an event which has been organised previously for only three countries. At 4pm Modi will have a private appointment with the Queen, according to the sources.
6. A special tribute to Basaveshwara statue: In the afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tribute to 12th century Lingayat philosopher and social reformer Basaveshwara at his statue on the banks of the river Thames which he had inaugurated during his last visit to the United Kingdom in 2015.
On his Jayanti, I bow to Bhagwan Basaveshwara. He has a special place in our history and culture. His emphasis on social harmony, brotherhood, unity and compassion always inspires us.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 18, 2018
Bhagwan Basaveshwara brought our society together and gave importance to knowledge. pic.twitter.com/akJPVyuH5D
7. Interaction with Indian diaspora: PM Modi is also scheduled to visit the research laboratories and attend a joint India-United Kingdom summit forum which will showcase the collaborative projects of both the nations. At around 5 pm (local time) Modi will hold an interaction session with the Indian community followed by attending the dinner hosted by Theresa May for the Commonwealth leaders.
8. PM Modi in Sweden and bilateral meetings with Nordic nations: Before heading to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Stockholm in Sweden where he invited top Swedish companies to invest in India and take part in the country’s flagship initiatives. PM Modi had productive discussions on bilateral and regional issues with his Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven and called on Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. India and Sweden decided to strengthen their defence and security cooperation and agreed on an innovation partnership for a 'win-win’ outcome.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a short walk with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven from Sager House to Rosenbad, in Stockholm, Sweden
Also, Modi held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway and discussed ways to enrich ties in crucial areas such as trade and investment, and renewable energy. He met the leaders of the four Nordic countries on the sidelines of the India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm.
9. Nordic nations committed to investing in India: The Swedish companies have committed to invest $1.1 billion in India over the next two years, according to media reports. Modi said that India and Sweden have agreed to reinforce their defence and security cooperation, including in areas of defence production and cybersecurity. He invited top Swedish firms to invest in India and said stronger bilateral business relations would indicate healthy for the people of the two nations. "Sweden remains a valued partner for Make in India initiative. PM Modi highlighted the various investment opportunities in India," a tweet on the PMO handle said.
Talking trade and business ties...top CEOs interact with Prime Ministers @narendramodi and Stefan Löfven. Sweden remains a valued partner for the @makeinindia initiative. PM highlighted the various investment opportunities in India. pic.twitter.com/aj3srazu9k
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 17, 2018
The major investors include the likes of Ikea, AstraZeneca and Volvo trucks. IKEA Group CEO Juvencio Maeztu and Saab CEO Hakan Buskhe were among the leading business frontrunners who attended the roundtable of Swedish CEOs.
10. Sweden commits Rs 400 million to India for innovation: Speaking on innovation partnership between New Delhi and Stockholm, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said, "Sweden will provide 50 million kronas (approximately Rs 400 million or Rs 40 crore) for cooperation in innovation with India for the Smart Cities project and for attaining sustainable development. This will also help to facilitate job creation," according to news agency ANI.
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