Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 10 September, dialed his British counterpart Elizabeth Truss, to congratulate her on assuming the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on phone today with British PM Elizabeth Truss; congratulated PM Truss on assuming the office of the Prime Minister of UK. He also appreciated her contributions to the India-UK bilateral relationship in her previous roles," the PMO said, in a statement.
In their first phone call since Truss assumed office earlier this week, Modi conveyed his condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of all Indians and paid tribute to the 96-year-old late monarch's “lifetime of service.”
“The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi this afternoon, following the death of Her Majesty The Queen,” Downing Street said in a readout of the phone call.
"The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Modi for his heartfelt condolences, which he said were on behalf of 1.3 billion Indians. The leaders acknowledged the grief felt by the many people of the UK and India, and paid tribute to Her Majesty the Queen's lifetime of service,” the statement said.
The UK and India are in the midst of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA), with a Diwali deadline set by Truss' predecessor Boris Johnson for the completion of a draft agreement.
The new Prime Minister, who took formal charge at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday with an audience with the late Queen, has previously said she remains committed to an FTA with India and hopes it would "preferably" be completed by Diwali in October or by the end of this year.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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