India, UK resume FTA negotiations: Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday said India and the United Kingdom have resumed negotiations towards a trade deal between the two countries.

The announcement from Minister of Commerce and Trade Piyush Goyal comes at a time when Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade of the United Kingdom Jonathan Reynolds is in Delhi.

The statement from the Ministry of Commerce said that both sides have agreed to resume negotiations towards a balanced, mutually beneficial and a forward-looking deal that delivers mutual growth and builds on the strengths of the two complementary economies.


It added that he strengthening of the trading relationship between the two countries has the potential to unlock opportunities for business and consumers across both our nations and build further on our already deep ties.

The two ministers directed the negotiators to work together to resolve the outstanding issues in the agreement to ensure a fair and equitable trade deal for shared success.

Goyal said that the negotiations would be based on the groundwork from previous talks, adding that the two countries will speed up the trade negotiations "without haste".

He also said that the discussions over investment treaty will also be held. Further, Goyal said immigration has not been a part of any of the previous trade deal talks.

The two countries prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Kier Starmer had met on the sidelines of G20 in November 2024in Rio de Jeneiro. Brazil and had discussed about the importance of resuming the negotiations for the trade deal.