British official reassures commitment to bilateral relations with India

Describing India as Britain's "closest partner", a senior British Foreign and Commonwealth official on Wednesday said the bilateral relations between the two nations are in "good health". The official, who does not want to be named, said a number of senior UK ministers will also participate in the three-day Raisina Dialogue, which started from January 8. The dialogue is India's flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics and annually attracts high-level participants from all over the world. The theme for the 2019 edition of the conference is "A World Reorder: New Geometries, Fluid Partnerships, Uncertain Outcomes."

India is Britain's "closest partner", the official said, adding, "bilateral relations between UK and India is in good health". Without specifying the exact figures, he said there has been a 20 per cent increase in Indian students studying in the UK last year. Similarly, there has been a 10 per cent increase in Indian tourists in Britain last year and a "big increase" in the number of skilled workers coming to the UK. The official also said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are expected to visit London for talks with their UK counterparts.

He said a UK Home Office team will visit India to discuss a number of issues, including "terrorists' use of internet". Both sides are currently in talks on the issue of illegal migrants from India, which number "many tens of thousands", he added. The official said the British Mission in India is the largest in the world and "new staffs" would be posted in British High Commission in New Delhi and its offices in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. The UK will also set up a new tech hub in Delhi, he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)