New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil will go
on a three-day state visit to Britain beginning October 27 to
boost bilateral ties and the historical relationship between
the two countries, British High Commissioner Richard Stagg
said here on Tuesday.
"This will be third state visit by an Indian President in
the last century and the first since 1990. We are looking
forward to it as this will help in expanding the bilateral
relations in all aspects," Stagg said at a Luncheon Meeting
organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI)
here.
He said the two countries could enlarge their scope of
bilateral cooperation in specific areas such as Defence and
high technology and pointed out that Britain's defence firms
already had a large presence in India.
Stagg said London's Lord Mayor Alderman David Brewer
would come on a five-day visit to India on October 19 and
lead a high-powered business delegation to Hyderabad, Mumbai
and Delhi.
Asked about Britain's economic growth, the High
Commissioner said in the second quarter of this financial
year, his country's economy would shrink and was likely to
record a negative growth in the last two quarters of this
fiscal as well.
On British Council activities in India, he said the focus
in the recent years had shifted to training 7.5 lakh people in
English language skills and to cultural activities such as
involvement with theatre groups and educational sector.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 20:37