New Delhi: Britain's Prince Charles will
arrive in India on November 8 to invite Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM), that will be held next year in the UK.
The announcement of Prince Charles' two-day visit was
made by external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh
Kumar here today.
The prince would be accompanied by his wife Duchess of
Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, during the visit, which is a
part of their 10-day tour of four nations -- Singapore,
Malaysia, Brunei and India, he said.
The visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.
The Prince is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi and
discuss a wide range of issues, including climate change,
sustainable development goals, economic cooperation and the
upcoming CHOGM meet, which will take place in April 2018, in
the UK, Kumar said.
India and the UK have robust economic ties and their
current trade stands at USD 12.19 billion.
India is the 3rd largest investor in the UK and the
second largest international job creator in the UK.
The UK is the 3rd largest inward investor in India, with
a cumulative equity investment of USD 24.37 billion for the
period April 2000 June 2017.
This visit will be the 9th visit of the Prince of Wales
to India since 1975, last being in 2013.
The Indian diaspora in the UK is one of the largest
ethnic minority communities there, with the 2011 census
recording approximately 1.5 million people of Indian-origin in
the UK, contributing 6 per cent to the country's GDP.
