Author:
Publication: India Inc News
Date: July 2, 2014
URL: http://www.indiaincorporated.com/item/3580-uk-sends-first-set-of-ministers-to-modi.html

Britain’s foreign secretary, William Hague, and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will be among the first high-level UK delegation to meet Prime Minister NarendraModi during a visit to India next week.

Hague and Osborne will also hold bilateral meetings with their Indian counterparts, SushmaSwaraj and ArunJaitley respectively, during the visit scheduled between July 7 and 9.

Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Ranjan Mathai, confirmed: “We are now looking forward to the visit to India jointly by the foreign secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer next week. Their ministerial meetings have been scheduled in India.

“This marks the start of a set of new engagements between the UK and new Indian government.”

Hague had made a reference to his India visit in the House of Commons recently.

“The Chancellor and I will visit India shortly to meet the new government. Our priorities will be to expand trade and investment, enhance education links, strengthen cooperation on defence and security, increase collaboration on science and innovation, and build our people-to-people links through the UK’s 1.5 million Indian Diaspora,” he said.

Their visit is expected to be followed by that of Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and Greg Barker, Prime Minister David Cameron’s minister in charge of business engagement with India.