The ninth round of negotiations for the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) will take place from April 24 to April 28, according to officials from the department of commerce on Thursday.
The officials’ remark comes days after India denied allegations that the FTA negotiations had halted due to recent attacks in London that were carried out by pro-Khalistan gangs.
26 policy chapters are the subject of talks, although only 13 have been resolved thus far. In New Delhi, the seventh round of negotiations was finished last month. A bilateral meeting between the two trade ministers was also held in March to assess the status of the negotiations for the India-UK trade deal.
According to government representatives, a bilateral investment treaty—a distinct agreement—is also being negotiated. It will be completed concurrently with the FTA between India and the UK.
Both Nations set an ambitious Diwali deadline for the completion of the trade treaty after launching formal negotiations in January 2022. India then established a secretive deadline of March 2023. The difficult trade treaty concerns are still being worked out by both sides.
British media sources from earlier this week said that New Delhi had put a hold on FTA negotiations with the UK because it desired stronger measures against the organisations responsible for the attack on the Indian High Commission in London last month. At the time, a government source in India claimed that the report was unfounded.
