London, July 26 (IANS) Ashish Kumar Chauhan, MD and CEO of National Stock Exchange (NSE), said on Saturday that it was an honour to witness the signing of Free Trade agreement between India and the UK, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Keir Starmer.

“Honoured and privileged to be a witness to the signing of Free Trade agreement between India and UK on July 24,2025 with Hon’ble PM India and Hon’ble PM Uk at the country residence of UK PM Chequers outside London, UK,” Chauhan said in a post on X social media platform.

The landmark India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is an indication of several such trade pacts in the near future under the leadership of PM Modi, he had said earlier on Friday.

Speaking to IANS here, Chauhan said that the talks on the India-UK FTA were ongoing for three-four years.

“When talks first began 4–5 years ago, the UK was under a Conservative government. Since then, there have been regime changes but the way both the Conservative and the Labour parties supported finalising the FTA is commendable,” he emphasised.

According to Chauhan, the India-UK FTA will pave the way for several such trade pacts with other nations, like the US, the EU and Japan etc, in the near future.

India and the EU are aiming to reach an agreement on a free trade deal by the end of 2025.

The coming months will be crucial for India’s global trade relations, as the government intensifies negotiations with major partners such as the EU and the ASEAN bloc. Meanwhile, talks with the US are also gaining pace.

“The world has seen the tremendous progress India has achieved in the last 11 years under PM Modi, and the FTA will bring a better future for several industries,” said the NSE CEO.

–IANS

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