Mobility of professionals key to boost India-UK ties: Sinha

Mobility of Indian professionals would be key to boost India-UK ties in a post-Brexit scenario, according to the country's top envoy here.

"For us, mobility is key for our services sector. There has to be a system where our professionals can come to the UK and return. They contribute immensely to both the Indian and British economies," Indian High Commissioner Yashvardhan K Sinha said while speaking at the launch of the India@70 programme at India House in London yesterday.

The programme has been organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the University of East Anglia to explore a "new diplomacy" between India and the UK in the 70th year of India's independence.
 

"We have come a long way since 1947. It is time for us to re-craft our relationships with the wider world and the UK will be a good place to start," said Sinha.

The envoy also expressed hope that a free trade agreement (FTA) with Britain might be easier to achieve than an FTA with the EU, which has not made much headway.

"We have been in discussions with the EU since 1997 but a trade deal has not made much headway. The EU is a large grouping with various national interests involved and there is a view that bilateral negotiations may be easier. India and the UK have set up a joint working group, which could become the fulcrum around which an FTA can be discussed after Brexit," he said.

Laura Clarke, Head of South Asia at the UK Foreign Office, said the "sheer breadth" of the India-UK relationship would be the defining feature in the post-Brexit world.

"In an era of disruption, this relationship becomes all the more important. The relationship is robust and resilient enough that we can talk frankly and openlyabout issues of concern, including visas," she said.

The India@70 programme, which will involve various events in the UK and India over the course of this year, seeks to explore ways in which the India-UK relationship can be readdressed.

"Global politics is changing and it is time to recalibrate, given the unfolding scenario. These are very interesting timesand whileuncertainty will cause a blip, the realities of business mean the focus will be on where the best deals can be found," said FICCI Secretary-General Dr Didar A Singh.