Amid trade deal hiccup, Indian & British foreign ministers hold phone talks: 'A good conversation'

With the future of the much-anticipated free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK suddenly finding itself in a spot, Indian external affairs minister Subrahmayam Jaishankar on Friday (14) spoke to his British counterpart James Cleverly over phone wherein the two discussed ways to not only add momentum to the initiative to salvage the proposed deal but also to stay on course to execute the Roadmap 2030.

Relations between the two democracies came under stress over the last one week or so after British home secretary Suella Braverman expressed reservations over Indian migrants. The two nations are also set to miss the Diwali deadline which was set for concluding talks for the trade deal.

After their conversation, Jaishankar took to Twitter to say, "A good conversation with UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly. Reviewed various aspects of our bilateral relationship and committed to taking forward Roadmap 2030 expeditiously." He was also looking forward to having a personal meeting with Cleverly.

The roadmap was agreed upon by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson during a virtual summit in May last year.

The FTA was included as a key milestone in the roadmap. Earlier this year, Modi and Johnson set Diwali, which falls on October 24, as the deadline for concluding the deal.

There were also reports that a plan for a visit by Modi to London was off the table. The UK was also heard saying that it was no more working for the Diwali deadline.