Determined to work together to find FTA that supports UK, Indian businesses: British dy high commissioner

By Ayushi Agarwal

New Delhi [India], April 11 : British deputy high commissioner Christina Scott on Tuesday said that negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement between India and the United Kingdom are continuing and both countries are "determined" to work together.

The remarks by the senior UK diplomat in India come after Indian officials dismissed as "baseless" a report in The Times, which claimed that New Delhi had stalled negotiations due to its concerns that the British government had failed to condemn the recent attack on the High Commission in London by pro-Khalistan supporters.

In an interview with , Scott said, "I can't comment on yesterday's report, I have not seen those reports but what I can say is that negotiations are continuing on free trade agreement. We are determined that we can continue to work together to find a free trade agreement that supports British and Indian businesses."

London-based newspaper The Times in its April 10 edition cited senior British government sources to report that the Indian government has "disengaged" from talks for a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the UK and had made it clear that there would be no progress "without a public condemnation of the Khalistan movement."

However, government sources in New Delhi denied the "baseless" report.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the UK Department for Business and Trade on April 10 said that British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has condemned the recent acts of violence at the Indian High Commission in London adding that Metropolitan Police were reviewing security and changes were being made to ensure safety,

Cleverly also said that both UK and India are committed to delivering an ambitious and mutually beneficial Foreign Trade Agreement and concluded the latest round of trade talks last month, the spokesperson said.

Speaking on the current situation in London following the recent incidents of vandalism, British deputy high commissioner Christina Scott said, "The situation right now is calm but let me just repeat the assurances that my ministers have made that we take extremely seriously the Security of the Indian High Commission in London. We are working very closely with them to make sure that the security is maintained."

On March 19 this year, protesters holding Khalistan banners staged a demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in London. One of the protesters climbed up its balcony and pulled down the Indian national flag of India.

In a video of the incident, which has since gone viral on social media, a protester is seen on the balcony attempting to bring down the Indian flag. At the end of the video, another man is seen reaching the balcony and wresting the Tricolour back from the Khalistan supporter.

The British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis had also condemned the attack on the Indian High Commission in London as "disgraceful acts" and called it "totally unacceptable."

After the incident, India had summoned deputy high commissioner Christina Scott, to lodge a protest.

"It is expected that the UK Government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in today's incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," according to an official press release by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).