New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday spoke to his British counterpart Liz Truss, covering “shared interest” in trade, investment and security.
The telephonic conversation between Jaishankar and Truss came days before the start of negotiations between the two countries for a comprehensive free trade agreement.
British Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to India from Wednesday to launch the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Jaishankar described the talks with Truss as a “warm conversation”.
“A warm conversation with UK Foreign Secretary @trussliz. Discussed our shared interest in trade, investment and security. Look forward to welcoming her in India,” Jaishankar tweeted.
In May last year, India and the UK adopted a 10-year-roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connect among others.
The Roadmap 2030 was adopted at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson at a virtual summit.
The conversation between Jaishankar and Truss came days before India and the UK are set to start negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement. British Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to India from Wednesday to launch the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.
Jaishankar also spoke to Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn.
“Spoke to DPM and FM Prak Sokhonn of Cambodia. Discussed India ASEAN relations, Mekong-Ganga Cooperation and the situation in Myanmar. Will work closely with Cambodia in its capacity as ASEAN Chair,” he tweeted.
The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.
The ties between India and ASEAN have been on an upswing in the last few years with the focus being on ramping up cooperation in the areas of trade and investment as well as security and defence.
In the last few days, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from the US, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria.
He also spoke to the foreign ministers of Egypt, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, the Maldives, Bhutan, Iran and France. PTI MPB
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