India and the UK will seek to deepen bilateral ties during a crucial five-day visit of Jeremy Browne, the British minister of state for foreign affairs from Monday.
Browne, who will be on his second trip to India since assuming office in May 2010, will discuss current bilateral and international priorities during his visit to New Delhi.
Browne will also open the Joint India-UK Conference on CBRN disaster management and security in the Indian capital.
This conference will bring together leading Indian and British experts from industry and government.
Browne is scheduled to meet ministers at the Ministry of External Affairs to discuss current bilateral and international priorities, a Foreign Office release today said.
Before leaving for India, Browne said 2012 "is an important year for the UK-India relationship."
He will visit Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad from Monday to deepen engagement in the areas such as education, research and energy.
"The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics offer a once-in-a-generation chance to promote the UK as one of the best places to visit, live, work, study, invest and do business," he underlined.
Browne will meet the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, besides leading figures from business and the media during his visit to the two South Indian states, the release said.
{{/usCountry}}Browne will meet the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, besides leading figures from business and the media during his visit to the two South Indian states, the release said.
{{/usCountry}}The minister said he was delighted to return to India and visit "three of the great cities of the South - all locations where the UK will be investing more effort and attention in coming years."
He said it shows the importance the UK attributes to "these dynamic growth regions".
In Bangalore, Browne will visit Infosys, while in Chennai he will deliver a speech titled "The UK-India Economic Partnership" at an event hosted by the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In Hyderabad he will deliver a speech titled "Politics and Governance: The UK Experience" at the Administrative Staff College of India, the release said.