Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, arrived in India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday on a two-day visit to revive ties between the ancient allies.

Mr. Johnson's visit to India is his first, and no British prime minister has ever visited Ahmedabad, the capital of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat.

The Prime Minister will pay a visit to a new plant in Gujarat that will be opened by a leading British company and a biotechnology university collaborating with the University of Edinburgh.

The city's important commercial center is dubbed the "Manchester of India" due to its cotton textile industry and its ancestral home to approximately half of Britain's Anglo-Indian people.

"As I come to India today, I am struck by the immense possibilities for what our two great nations may accomplish in collaboration. From next-generation 5G telecommunications and artificial intelligence to new partnerships in health research and renewable energy, the UK and India are setting the global standard," Mr. Johnson stated before his arrival.

He stated that the "powerhouse partnership" between the UK and India provides jobs, growth, and opportunity for the British people and that the two countries' ties will continue to strengthen in the future.

Mr. Johnson will announce a slew of commercial deals and usher in a new era of trade, investment, and technology cooperation between the UK and India.

According to a statement from the British Prime Minister's office, UK and Indian businesses will confirm over £1 billion in new investments and export deals today in sectors ranging from software engineering to health, creating around 11,000 jobs in the UK.

The prime minister, who is mired in a blazing "partygate" crisis at home, was greeted by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and a dance group outside the airport, plastered with giant posters.

He paid a visit to Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram shortly after arriving in the country. He is set to have lunch with industrialist Gautam Adani and then launch a new JCB factory near Vadodara, followed by a visit to Akshardham Temple.

He is also expected to meet with local business leaders and unveil new health, scientific, and technology projects, including a digital health collaboration and a collaborative investment fund for Indian deep-tech and artificial intelligence start-ups, all of which will be backed by the two governments.

Mr. Johnson will depart for New Delhi in the evening, where he will hold "in-depth talks" with Mr. Modi and India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday about bilateral relations, defense, diplomatic relations, and economic cooperation.

"The Prime Minister will also use this week’s visit to drive progress in negotiations on the landmark UK-India free trade agreement, which is expected to help double our trade and investment by 2030," Mr. Johnson's office said.

Following Monday, the negotiating teams will convene for their third round of formal discussions in India.

The two prime ministers will also address Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, a Downing Street representative said that Mr. Johnson is unlikely to "lecture" India about its neutral stance on the violence unleashed by his Cold War friend.

India has taken a neutral stance in the situation, refusing to criticize Moscow and frequently abstaining from West-backed resolutions at the United Nations condemning Russia.

"We will not attempt to lecture or persuade India in any way. We will aim to cooperate productively with them as a significant international partner," the spokesman stated.