India, UK Conclude Fifth Round Of Talks For Free Trade Agreement

India and the United Kingdom have concluded the fifth round of talks for the proposed bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), an official release said on Thursday (11 August).

The two countries are working on concluding the talks on a comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement by the end of October this year.

"On 29 July 2022, the Republic of India and the United Kingdom concluded the fifth round of talks for an India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," a joint statement said on Thursday.

"Negotiation officials undertook these technical talks in a hybrid fashion – with some of the teams meeting in New Delhi, India, and the majority of officials joining virtually," the statement added.

"For this round of negotiations, technical experts from both sides came together for detailed draft treaty text discussions in 85 separate sessions covering 15 policy areas," it said.

The statement said that Indian and UK officials will continue to work intensively throughout the summer towards their target to conclude the majority of talks on a comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreement by the end of October 2022.