India invites UK PM Boris Johnson as Republic Day 2021 chief guest

India has invited UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the guest for Republic Day. The invite was extended during PM Modi's call to UK PM last week.

The telephonic talks that happened on November 27, focused on the COVID pandemic, climate change and other related issues.

Indian government readout of the meet said, "The leaders reiterated their shared desire to impart a quantum jump to the India-UK partnership in the post-COVID, post-BREXIT era, and agreed that there was tremendous potential for enhancing collaboration in trade and investment, scientific research, mobility of professionals and students, and defence and security."

Earlier in November, Acting British High Commissioner to India Jan Thompson said Boris Johnson will soon make an "in-person" visit to India.

She said, "We are expecting UK Foreign secretary Dominic Raab will be paying an in-person visit to India in the next few months. Beyond that, PM Boris Johnson is very very keen to come to India. So we hope, over the next few months, we will visit, by both FS Raab and PM Johnson."

The visit, as of now, will be the first in-person visit of any head of government to India. High-level physical visits have been suspended globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last world leader to visit India was the President of Myanmar Win Myint and US President Donald Trump in February.