UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson To Visit India In April As Part Of Policy 'Tilt'

Earlier in January, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was supposed to be the chief guest at Republic Day, but due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the UK and the spread of a new strain, he cancelled his visit to India. Now, he is scheduled to visit India in April.

New Delhi: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to visit India at the end of April 2021. This will be the first international visit of the UK Prime Minister after Britain's exit from the European Union as part of efforts to boost UK opportunities in the region, his office said on Monday.

The Britain government said that this visit would "tilt" its focus towards the Indo-Pacific region as part of its Integrated Review of government policy for the coming years, saying the area increasingly represented the geopolitical centre of the world.

Earlier in January, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was supposed to be the chief guest at Republic Day, but due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the UK and the spread of a new strain, he cancelled his visit to India. Now, he is scheduled to visit India in April.

On January 5, a Downing Street spokeswoman had stated that "The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned."

At the time,  PM Johnson's office said that he had hoped to rearrange the visit before Britain hosted the meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven rich nations in June, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to attend as a visitor.

Last month, Britain made a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), seeking membership of the 11-country bloc to open new avenues for post-Brexit trade and influence.

(With agency inputs)