UK PM Boris Johnson to visit Delhi on April 26, to go to Pune also

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be visiting India on 26th April. The British PM's India visit will be his first visit abroad since the UK left the European Union.

Announcing the visit in the British Parliament, Johnson said, "I am delighted to announce that I will visit India next month to strengthen our friendship with the world's biggest democracy". 

During his India visit, Johnson is also expected to visit Pune. While no details are known about his schedule in Pune, the world's largest vaccine manufacture Serum Institute of India (SII) is based in the city. SII has been producing Oxford Astrazeneca's covid vaccine covishield, which has been exported to many countries from there. 

The visit has been in making for a long time, with Boris Johnson expected to visit India in January for India's republic day but could not due to the new strain of coronavirus in his country.

His visit comes even as UK has released its key foreign policy document that sees India as key to London's "Indo Pacific tilt". The just-released "Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy" mentioned India over 15 times, calling India an "international actor of growing importance."

The document said, "The UK-India relationship is already strong, but over the next ten years we seek transformation in our cooperation across the full range of our shared interests. India – as the largest democracy in the world".

UK as the chair of the G7 grouping has invited India for the meeting of the grouping in June. Indian PM Modi will be travelling to the country for the summit, which could see on its first in-person quad meeting as well. Both sides are also working on a trade deal.