British PM holds security talks with Indian counterpart at Chequers
Xinhua, November 14, 2015 Adjust font size:
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday held talks on security and defense cooperation with visiting Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the former's country retreat Chequers.
Their talks focused on further strengthening the security partnership between Britain and India, including through the exchange of counter-terrorism best practices and technologies and cyber security expertise, according to Downing Street.
They discussed the importance of tackling the threat from the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba outfit and other militant groups targeting India.
"They agreed on the vital need to tackle ISIL (also known as the Islamic State), including through countering the narrative that radicalizes individuals and leads them to embrace a violent Islamist extremist ideology," Down Street said in a statement.
The prime ministers also discussed how Britain and India could work together to better protect people and organizations from cyber attacks, said the statement.
Speaking about defense co-operation, they welcomed the new Britain-India Defense and International Security partnership and agreed that it should "signal a step-change in partnering on developing capability, expertise and sharing technology, analysis and information."
"The Prime Ministers agreed an ambition to elevate our relationship to a deep, enduring and future-focused partnership of equals, focused on developing the military capabilities that India and the UK need to tackle emerging global threats," added the statement.
Modi also had lunch Friday with British Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, before he attended a rally celebrating the Indian diaspora's role in Britain.
A group of demonstrators gathered outside the rally at Wembley Stadium in north London to protest against alleged religious persecution and human rights issues before and after the Indian leader took office last year.
Modi on Thursday began a three-day official visit to Britain.
More than 9 billion British pounds (about 13.7 billion U.S. dollars) in commercial deals have been agreed between the two countries during Modi's visit, Downing Street has confirmed. Endit