NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here on Saturday and discussed ways to deepen trade linkages and boost investment. Rishi Sunak, who arrived here on Friday, held talks with Modi after the first session of the G20 Summit.
The PM also held bilateral meetings with the PM of Japan Fumio Kishida and the PM of Italy Giorgia Meloni.
In the meeting with Sunak, there were talks on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which is nearing its conclusion.
"The two leaders had a productive conversation about negotiations on the UK-India FTA. PM Sunak reiterated the UK's ambition to deliver a landmark trade deal that benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows our trade in both goods and services. They agreed that negotiating teams would continue to work at pace towards an FTA,'' said a British High Commission spokesperson.
"It was great to have met Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. We discussed ways to deepen trade linkages and boost investment. India and the UK will keep working for a prosperous and sustainable planet,’’ said PM Modi.
Sunak said that India and the UK were two nations with one ambition.
"An ambition rooted in our shared values, the connection between our people and of course our passion for cricket,’’ Sunak said.
India and Japan are partners in Quad and the PM Kishida has come to India for the second time this year. The two leaders held bilateral talks on Saturday.
"Held productive talks with PM Kishida. We took stock of India-Japan bilateral ties and the ground covered during India’s G20 Presidency and Japan’s G7 Presidency. We are eager to enhance cooperation in connectivity, commerce and other sectors,’’ said PM Modi.
PM Modi also had a bilateral meeting with Italian PM Meloni.
"I had an excellent discussion with the PM Meloni. Our conversation covered various sectors including trade, defense, emerging technologies and much more. India and Italy will continue to work together for global prosperity,’’ said PM Modi.
On Friday, PM Modi had three bilateral meetings beginning with Mauritian PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina and US President Joe Biden.
PM Modi is expected to have close to 15 bilateral meetings before the conclusion of the Summit on Sunday, which includes a working lunch with French President, Emmanuel Macron.
