Britain's newly elected Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, over the phone. He thanked PM Modi for congratulating him on his new role. He said he is excited about what two great democracies can achieve as we continue to strengthen our security, defense and economic ties.

Prime Minister Modi spoke to his UK counterpart Sunak over the phone and congratulated him on taking charge. Modi tweeted, " Very happy to talk to Rishi Sunak today. I congratulated him on taking over as Prime Minister of Britain. We will further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership. Modi said he and Sunak also agreed on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement.

After talking to PM Modi over the phone, Sunak said, I express my thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating me on starting my new role. Britain and India have a lot in common. I am excited about what our two great democracies can achieve as we further strengthen our security, defense and economic partnership in the months and years to come.

Rishi Sunak (42) took over as the first British Prime Minister of Indian origin on Tuesday. He was elected unopposed as the new leader of the Conservative Party on the day of Diwali. Former UK Finance Minister Sunak is a Hindu and he is the youngest Prime Minister of Britain in the last 210 years.

India and Britain started talks for a free trade agreement in January and aimed to conclude the talks by Diwali, but missed the deadline due to a lack of consensus on the issues. The India-UK free trade deal is likely to gain much-needed momentum with Sunak moving to the prime minister's official residence at 10 Downing Street. According to experts, political stability in the UK will now help accelerate talks for the agreement, which could potentially double bilateral trade by 2030.