Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly invited British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations next year.
PM Modi extended the invitation to Boris Johnson on November 27 when he spoke to the British PM over the telephone, news agency IANS reported quoting its sources.
However, the Indian government is yet to officially announce the invitation extended to the British Prime Minister.
After his telephonic conversation with Johnson, Pm Modi had said that the two sides have agreed to further boost the cooperation in all areas including trade, climate change, defence and security.
"Had an excellent discussion with my friend, UK PM @BorisJohnson on an ambitious roadmap for India-UK ties in the next decade. We agreed to work towards a quantum leap in our cooperation in all areas - trade & investment, defence & security, climate change, and fighting Covid-19," PM Modi tweeted.
The event scheduled for 26 January 2021 hasn’t seen a British Prime Minister as its chief guest for 27 years. The last one to attend was John Major who came to see the Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 1993. Before him, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, Chancellor of exchequer Rap Butler and then Chief of Defence Staff Lord Louis Mountbatten have all been chief guests.
The invitation from Modi is tactical and timely as the transition period for Brexit ends on December 31 and it's almost certain that the UK will go for a 'hard Brexit' - a clean break from Europe which will entail Britain giving up membership of the EU's single market, allowing it to trade freely with EU members without restrictions.
The hard Brexit is likely to disrupt UK's economy, which even after four years of the Brexit vote, is for most practical purposes still functioning as part of the EU. To reduce the adverse effects of economic disruption, the UK has been looking for trading opportunities elsewhere. Prime Minister Johnson has offered a free trade agreement with India, given its huge market.
Johnson's visit to New Delhi next month will be significant for trade negotiations between the two countries.
