Boris Johnson to become second British PM to visit India

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accepted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on November 2 that the British PM has agreed to plan a visit to India ‘as soon as the circumstances allow,’ Report informs referring to ABP News.

Prime Minister Modi extended the invite to Boris Johnson on November 1 on the sidelines of the ongoing COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, as both leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in sectors such as green hydrogen, renewables and clean technology, economy, and defense.

Boris Johnson was supposed to visit India earlier as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in January this year, but his trip was canceled due to the COVID situation in the country with the number of cases increasing. The meeting between Modi and Boris Johnson at the COP26 summit in Glasgow has been the first in-person interaction between the two leaders since.

Modi’s interaction with the British prime minister was scheduled after the opening ceremony of the World Leaders’ Summit at COP26 to focus on the UK-India climate partnership as well as a review of the 2030 Roadmap for stronger UK-India strategic ties signed by the two leaders during a virtual summit in May this year.

Johnson was to become the second British prime minister (after John Major in 1993) since India’s independence from Britain in 1947 to take part in the annual Republic Day parade as a guest of honor.

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