20 April 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to set aside his political troubles and focus on economic ties and the war in Ukraine during a long-delayed official trip to India.
Johnson is due to visit the western state of Gujarat and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the two-day trip that starts Thursday.
Modi has so far responded coolly to pressure from US President Joe Biden and others to curb imports of Russian oil and gas.
India is also a major customer for Russian weapons, and recently bought advanced Russian air defense systems.
The trip may also provide the British prime minister with a brief respite from a scandal over lockdown-breaching government parties during the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnson was fined by police last week for attending his own surprise birthday party in 10 Downing St. in June 2020, when people in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family outside the home.
The trip means Johnson will miss an opposition-triggered vote in the House of Commons Thursday on whether he should be investigated for allegedly misleading Parliament when he denied violating any pandemic restrictions.
Source Arabnews
