Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will discuss ways to implement the India-UK 2030 Roadmap for elevating ties in trade, economy, defence, climate and health, with his counterparts in the UK, during his visit to the country this week, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The need to lift travel restrictions is also being taken up by India with other countries that continue to impose travel bans greatly inconveniencing travellers, including students, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing on Thursday.
On Shringla’s visit to UK on July 23-24, Bagchi said it would focus on the decisions of the India-UK Virtual Summit in May, where both countries adopted an ambitious Roadmap 2030 to elevate bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The roadmap would also guide cooperation over the next decade in the key areas of trade and economy, defense and security, climate, health and people to people relations.
“During the visit, Foreign Secretary will meet with his counterparts and conduct a detailed review of bilateral relations with particular focus on the implementation of the 2030 Roadmap. He will also discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest,” Bagchi said.
Free trade pact
At the summit, the two sides had also decided to start negotiations on a India-UK Free Trade Agreement and the meetings in the UK may also focus on how both sides were progressing on preparations for the same, a source tracking the matter added.
Answering questions on how the government planned to sort out problems being faced by Indians, including students in foreign universities, who were not able to travel due to restrictions imposed by other countries, Bagchi said the issue was being pursued seriously by the government.
“With the improvement in the Covid situation in India, we have been taking up with foreign countries the issue of easing travel restrictions for Indians. We believe that this is an important element towards economic recovery. There have some positive steps in this direction, and we would hope that more countries take steps to normalize the movement of people from India,” he said.
The Spokesperson added that more than half EU member states had already included Covishield in the list of vaccines approved for travel in the region. As per reports, these countries include Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland.