Britain opens dy high commission office in Hyd
Expansion of diplomatic missions in India has been a part of the new approach to the UK’s foreign policy that takes into view the growing influence of this country in terms of trade and investments and the corresponding need to build people-to-people relations, permanent under secretary and head of the British Diplomatic Service, Simon Fraser, said here on Thursday.
Fraser on Thursday opened the new British deputy high commission in Hyderabad, one of the two new missions, including the one in Chandigarh, which together take the total number of such missions in India to seven, by far the biggest presence of the UK in any other country.
Speaking to reporters, Fraser said that the growing two-way investments, including the British Petroleum (BP)’s joint venture with Reliance Industries (RIL) in India and the Tatas’ investments in the UK, signifies the growing importance of the relationship between both the countries.
According to him, the trade between the two countries is expected to more than double to 25 billion pounds by 2015 from 13 billion pounds in 2010.
The present Eurozone crisis will have a little bearing on the investment flows between the two countries, he added.