NEW DELHI: United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his upcoming India visit due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
The information about his cancellation of the India trip was shared by the Ministry of External Affairs through an official statement. “In view of the prevailing Covid situation, it has been decided by mutual agreement that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will not visit India next week. The two sides will be holding a virtual meeting in the coming days to launch plans for a transformed India-UK relationship. Both leaders attach the highest importance to taking the India-UK partnership to its fullest potential and propose to remain in close touch in this regard and look forward to an in-person meeting later in the year,” said Arindam Bagchi, the official MEA Spokesperson in a response to media queries on the upcoming visit of Johnson to India.
Johnson was scheduled to visit India from April 25 on his first major visit to a non-European country since the re-election of the Conservative government in the UK general elections held in December 2019. Johnson had said in March that he will discuss India and UK’s shared vision for a sustainable future and other issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to India. The British Prime Minister had cancelled his visit to India in January this year due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the UK. He was invited to take part in Republic Day celebrations as chief guest.
The UK is hosting the G7 summit in June where Prime Minister Modi is a special invitee. COP 26 is also scheduled to take place later in the year in the UK.
