British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the grand welcome a day ago in Gujarat.
In his media statement, Johnson described the ties between India and Britain as "one of defining friendships of our times".
"My friend, Narendra, my khaas dost. I felt like Sachin Tendulkar upon my arrival and also like Amitabh Bachchan when I saw hoardings everywhere," he said.
Johnson said the UK is creating India specific open general export licensing to reduce delivery times for defence procurement.
We are telling our negotiators to get it done by Diwali in October, he said on the FTA.
"We have had wonderful talks today and have strengthened our relationship in every way. The partnership between India and Britain is one of the defining friendships of our times," Boris Johnson said.
"Since last year, the threats of autocratic coercion have grown even further, therefore it is vital we deepen our cooperation including our shared interest in keeping the Indo-Pacific open and free. The UK is creating an India specific open general export license reducing bureaucracy and reducing delivery times for defence procurement," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Friday pushed for closing the negotiations for a free trade agreement by the end of the year, and agreed on a new and expanded bilateral defence and security partnership.
In their wide-ranging talks, PM Modi and Boris Johnson vowed to give fresh momentum to overall ties and reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 that listed ambitious targets for deeper collaborations in diverse sectors.
In his media statement, PM Modi said good progress has been made in negotiations for the India-UK free trade agreement.
"We have decided to do our best to conclude the free trade agreement by the end of this year," PM Modi said in presence of Johnson.
He said both sides emphasised on a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific while reiterating the need for respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries.
We reiterated our support for peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan, he said, adding it is necessary that Afghan territory is not used to spread terrorism in other countries.
On the Ukraine crisis, PM Modi emphasised dialogue and diplomacy to address the problem and called for an immediate ceasefire.
(With inputs from Agencies)
