India and the UK said on Monday they will hold the fifth round of talks for a free trade agreement in New Delhi in July.
The two sides concluded the fourth round of talks for the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on June 24, according to a joint outcome statement. During the fourth round of negotiations, a “detailed draft treaty text was advanced across the majority of chapters”, the statement said.
“Technical experts from both sides came together for discussions in 71 separate sessions covering 20 policy areas,” the statement added.
The fourth round of technical talks was held in a hybrid format, with some teams meeting in London and a majority of the officials joining virtually. “The fifth round of negotiations is due to take place in July 2022 in New Delhi,” the statement said.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and its UK counterpart, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), have formed the UK-India Business Commission to increase cross-industry collaboration and to push the trade deal over the line
