Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Keir Starmer on Tuesday held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Brazil G20 Summit, discussing trade relations, technology partnerships, and the extradition of fugitive Indian economic offenders, among other issues.

In their first meeting since Starmer assumed office in the UK, India pressed for the extradition of fugitive Indian businessmen like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, with PM Modi emphasising the importance of addressing the issue, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Another significant outcome of the discussions was the agreement to resume negotiations for an India-UK free trade pact, dispelling concerns about the Labour government's perceived unfavourable stance on the proposed deal.

“Both leaders underlined the importance of resuming the Free Trade Agreement negotiations at an early date and expressed confidence in the ability of the negotiating teams to address the remaining issues to mutual satisfaction, leading to a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking Free Trade Agreement,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Starmer said the negotiations would be relaunched in the new year. The talks for the proposed FTA began in January 2022, and the two sides have held 14 rounds of discussions. However, several contentious issues remain unresolved.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would open two new consulates in Belfast and Manchester in the UK, “in light of growing bilateral economic and business relations.”

The two prime ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership, with a focus on the economy, trade, new and emerging technologies, research and innovation, green finance, and people-to-people contact, the government added.

India has been actively pursuing the extradition of economic offenders from the UK, particularly high-profile cases such as Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. Mallya is accused of defaulting on bank loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He has been living in the United Kingdom since March 2016 and has been trying to avoid extradition to India.

Nirav Modi, a fugitive diamond merchant, has been imprisoned in London for over five years. He lost his legal battle against extradition to face fraud and money laundering charges in India.