Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) In the backdrop of the Eurofighter Typhoon combat plane being shortlisted in a $10.4-billion Indian tender, British Defence Secretary Liam Fox was here on a daylong visit Friday looking to expand defence business ties with India.

Fox, who last visited New Delhi in November last year, met Defence Minister A.K. Antony and National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon “to discuss how the United Kingdom (UK) and India could best take forward defence industrial co-operation”, according to a release from the British High Commission here.

Fox’s visit to India “underlines the commitment at the highest levels of the British and Indian defence establishments to ensure that defence co-operation is a fundamental pillar of the enhanced partnership” as set out by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart David Cameron last July, the release said.

In his remarks, Fox said: “In today’s world of multi-layered security and economic interdependence, the UK and India are looking for relationships that are built on partnership and respect, not one-off transactions.”

The British defence secretary set out his strong support for European consortium Eurofighter Typhoon’s bid to meet the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) requirement for a medium multi-role combat aircraft.

Britain is one of the partner countries in the four-nation European consortium EADS that has offered Eurofighter Typhoon for the IAF and is one of the two shortlisted firms in the medium multi-role combat jet tender for 126 aircraft at an estimated $10.4 billion.

Following his discussions with the Indian security top brass, Fox said: “The Eurofighter Typhoon not only provides India with cutting-edge operational capability, but also unmatched potential for an enduring strategic partnership in developing future defence technology.”

The past year has seen a step-change in the frequency of contact between the senior civilian and military leadership of the two countries.

Alongside four visits by the ministerial team in the UK’s Ministry of Defence, the Chiefs of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have each travelled to India to deepen strategic and operational ties with their counterparts here.

In addition to defence industrial issues, the two defence ministers discussed a wide range of strategic security challenges, including countering piracy in the Indian Ocean and long-term stability in Afghanistan, the release said.

They also welcomed the forthcoming bilateral army exercise in the UK beginning later this month, which will see Indian and British troops conduct combined counter-insurgency training, using the latest British Army training facilities, on Salisbury Plain Training Area.