British PM To Be India’s Republic Day Chief Guest

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is all set to visit India in January. Boris Johnson, who is going to visit India in Jan 2021, will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day Parade on January 26. The news was corroborated by the UK’s foreign secretary on Tuesday after his meeting with Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

 Boris’ visit to India is expected to strengthen the ties between India and Britain. The duo addressed a joint press conference after holding the talks. After a four-hour long discussion, S Jaishankar said the discussion focused on taking India and the UK’s bilateral ties to the next level.

Boris Johnson has accepted the “very generous invitation” to attend the event which is a “great honour”, said the UK’s foreign secretary. Meanwhile, Boris has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the UK-hosted G7 summit next year.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the UK-hosted G7 summit next year. The UK Prime Minister has also accepted the very generous invitation to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations (as chief guest) in January which is a great honour,” UK’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said at the joint press conference.

It is reported that developments in the Gulf, situations in Afghanistan, and evolution of the Indo-Pacific region were said to have been discussed in the high-profile bilateral meeting.

Raab is scheduled to visit India for three days from December 14 to 17. He is going to meet Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. Raab will travel to Bengaluru and he will meet Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on December 17.

As the UK is holding complex negotiations with the European Union on reaching a post Brexit trade deal, Raab’s India visit gained significance in the UK.

Meanwhile, it can be noted that 56-year-old Boris Johnson was one among the global leaders who contracted Corona Virus. He was admitted to hospital and successfully recovered from Covid-19.