Prime Minister hosts Downing Street Diwali celebrations
By UK India Business Council (UKIBC)
UK Prime Minister Theresa May hosted a Diwali reception ahead of a three-day visit to India in November – her first bilateral trip outside the European Union
Image credit: Number 10/Flickr
Theresa May this week hosted a Diwali reception in her official Downing Street residence in which she addressed the Indian community in the UK, pledging to support “shared ambition” between the two countries.
“It was here in Downing Street Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to start last year’s visit and next month I am delighted to join him in India,” said Mrs May.
“It will be the first bilateral visit I make outside European Union. I will be going to Delhi and Bangalore and it shows the importance of our relationship between the UK and India – I think it will be a true celebration of relations between our countries and shared ambition for the future,” she added.
On her three-day visit, Mrs May will open the India-UK TECH Summit alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The TECH Summit will be a celebration of a partnership described by Mr Modi as nothing less than “unbeatable” – showcasing the best of UK-India collaboration across key sectors.
Earlier this week in a separate announcement, Mrs May also stated her intention to prepare the ground for trade agreements with key partners around the world, including India.
“There is a limit to what we can do in terms of entering into a trade arrangement before we have left the European Union, but that does not mean we cannot scope out negotiations and start to have those discussions…” she said.
The Prime Minister’s decision to choose India as her first non-EU bilateral visit shows the importance of UK-India economic relations. With the India-UK TECH Summit the focal point – her three-day visit will certainly help to boost this already growing relationship.
India-UK TECH Summit will be held from November 7-9 2016 in New Delhi, please follow this link to register.
