British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due in India Sunday on a two-day state visit aimed at boosting economic ties and cooperation in a range of areas including education, counter- terrorism, reforms of multilateral institutions and climate change, according to dpa. Brown, on his first visit to India as prime minister, was expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, officials said. Myanmar, Pakistan and Afghanistan were expected to figure in these talks, besides trade, United Nations reforms and climate change. "We want to bring out two themes to work with India in third countries and talk in detail with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about reforms in the international system," British High Commissioner Richard Stagg told reporters . Britain also wished to coordinate with India on development aid to African countries from multilateral institutions. "The visit will also give Mr. Brown an opportunity to explain Britain's philosophy of development," Stagg said. In a packed programme spread over one and a half days, Brown was due Sunday to attend a meeting of top Indian business leaders, an entrepreneurs' summit and a meeting of women's self-help groups. Stagg said trade would figure high on the agenda of the talks. Britain is India's fourth-largest trading partner and accounted for 3.56 per cent of India's foreign trade in 2006-2007. Britain is also the largest investor in India, while India is the second-largest investor in Britain, according to official Indian figures. Brown was to be accompanied by top British business leaders, including Virgin group chief Richard Branson and Vodafone chief executive officer Arun Sarin. "Further expansion of economic linkages, research and development cooperation in higher education and academic exchanges, cooperation in counter-terrorism are among the important areas for consultations," Navtej Sarna, spokesman for India's Ministry for External Affairs, said. "A strong bilateral relationship is of priority for both countries, for economic and commercial, historical and foreign policy reasons and the presence of a large community of Indian origin in UK," Sarna said. A community of over 1.5 million Indians live and work in Britain along with more than 25,000 Indian students. A memorandum of understanding on a programme to develop leadership skills at Indian universities in collaboration with British institutions is expected to be signed during Brown's visit. Brown is scheduled to leave for London on Monday night after attending a banquet hosted by the Indian prime minister.
