British PM Boris Johnson To Cut Short His Trip To India As Covid Cases Surge

He was initially expected in the country on January and was invited to be the Chief Guest during the Republic Day parade, but due to the rising Covid cases and deaths in the UK it was decided that the trip should be delayed.

Boris Johnson (File Photo)

New Delhi: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be cutting short his delayed trip to India as the cases in the country continue to rise. He is expected to visit the country later this month, making it his first major bilateral foreign visit since taking power in 2019.

Johnson was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently took part in a climate summit hosted by London. He was initially expected in the country on January and was invited to be the Chief Guest during the Republic Day parade, but due to the rising Covid cases and deaths in the UK it was decided that the trip should be delayed. 

"We've been in close contact with the Indian government about the PM's upcoming visit in light of the Covid situation in India," Johnson's spokesman said according to an AFP report.

"As a result of these discussions the PM has made the decision to reduce the length of this visit... so it will be a shorter programme in New Delhi. Johnson will concentrate on "high-level discussions with the Indian government and Indian business leaders," he added.

The visit is was heralded as an opportunity for Britain to refocus its international trade policy in the wake of Brexit as it pursues a "global Britain" strategy. It's aimed at strengthening bilateral trade ties, investment and cooperation in various areas including defence, security, health and climate change.

 

While the details are yet to be disclosed, the trip will start on April 26th which is when a "bulk of the meetings" will be held AFP reported.

The two countries' burgeoning trade and investment relationship is estimated to be worth $32 billion, 26 billion euros annually highlighted the British PM.