Opening Statements

Tony Blair: First of all can I issue a very warm welcome indeed to the Indian Prime Minister and to all of the Indiandelegation? I would like to say how pleased I am at the state of Anglo-Indian relations. The relationship between the UK and India today is probably stronger than it has ever been, it is a strong relationship based on shared values, based on shared interests, based on a common perception about the future and how people live and work together. And I have watched over these past years as this relationship has strengthened and I would like to pay also a personal tribute to the Prime Minister for his work in helping that relationship grow. He is someone, if he will forgive me for saying so, one of the people that I admire most in politics, he is a man of extraordinary intellect, very great practical courage and combines that rather unusually in politics with a fair degree of humility. It is not a very usual combination, but if you will allow me, that is how I feel. And not only as a result of the work that he has done, but the way that our governments have been able to work together and our countries have been able to work together, this relationship is far stronger today than I think people could have anticipated a few years back.

Now there is a practical aspect to all of this. Of course there is something like half a million people from India who visit the UK every year, about 400,000 or more that go the other way. We have now gone I think to being the third largest investor in India, India the third largest investor here, just over the past few years. There is an immense amount of co-operation that we can do economically in terms of trade, which also has increased dramatically over the past few years. In science and innovation we are co-operating very well, but I think both of us feel we could do more there and strengthen it still further. And of course as we are announcing today there are strong educational links but we want to see those strengthened as well and are giving various awards for PhD, for student scholarships and so on.

And one of the remarkable things is that for both of our countries we recognise that the future is being part of the knowledge economy where we are investing strongly in our people, where our human capital is the greatest resource that we have, and this is helping us through these economic and educational ties to strengthen that aspect of our relationship for the future. So that is one very positive part of the picture.

But of course the relationship between Britain and India today is also one of strong co-operation on international issues. For example, with respect to counter terrorism where we are announcing a new package of measures today on co-operation. I mean our two countries share a very common interest, a very common goal and we also share a common view of how people of different faiths and backgrounds and races should live and work together in tolerance and respect for one another, where diversity is seen as a strength for our countries. And both of us tragically have faced terrorism, here in London obviously, in Mumbai in India and more generally throughout the world we can see how these pressures that are trying to pull people apart are growing and it is important that our two countries co-operate strongly on these issues. We are doing that. We are also really creating a whole new field of co-operation in terms of climate change. The growth in India is going to be obviously very, very powerful. India will have a need for energy, it is important that India grows in a sustainable way, and I would like to thank the Prime Minister and thank India for the way they have participated in the Gleneagles dialogue that we established last year, the G8 plus five dialogue, where we took this forward again in Mexico last week and where we really are I think on our way to creating the right type of framework that will allow us once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012 to have a way forward that will involve all the major countries in the world, including America and China and India.

So these are very important relationships for us, and just in the brief exchange we have had with our Ministers today covering issues like the World trade talks and so on, the common interest that we have got at almost every level in working together is very, very strong indeed. And finally, Prime Minister, I would like to pay tribute to the Indian community here in this country who play a tremendous part in our national life and are deeply valued by us.

But once again, Sir, welcome here to you and to all your colleagues, we are delighted to see you here and we are particularly delighted at the state of our relations today.

Manmohan Singh: Thank you Prime Minister. Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, it is gratifying for me that Prime Minister Blair and I have kept our commitment to hold a bilateral meeting each year. I deeply appreciate Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal commitment and involvement to strengthening our strategic partnership. As the world's largest and the oldest democracies, we obviously share deeply held values and a commitment to democratic institutions and the rule of law. Our co-operation in combating terrorism has become particularly significant. We agreed that there is need for a coherent global effort with shared perspectives and commitments to combat terrorism wherever and whenever such attacks take place. Sadly both the Mumbai and London attacks are reminders of the common terrorist threats we face.

Prime Minister Blair and I will later address an investment summit of our business leaders. There is clearly tremendous opportunity for further expansion of economic linkages, even though they are strong and they are moving in the right direction. We are particularly glad that the United Kingdom views the rapid growth of India as an opportunity that can be used for mutual benefit. In fact US business and industry should look more closely at opportunities unfolding with the quiet but substantive manufacturing revolution taking place in India. While the United Kingdom is India's fourth largest trading partner, and the fifth largest source of foreign investment into India, India has emerged to become the third largest investor in the United Kingdom in terms of number of projects, in fact foreign direct investment flows from India to the United Kingdom have exceeded those from the United Kingdom into India since 2004. India and the United Kingdom have revitalised co-operation in scientific research and sought ways to link science and innovation with enterprise. We feel the time is right to expand collaboration in knowledge-based industry and to stimulate greater investment through India by both large corporations and small and medium enterprises. As a knowledge economy, India places great store in respecting intellectual property rights issues and data security and protection. We also hope to see a stepping up of co-operation... like education and healthcare, increased cultural exchanges and the movement of people between our countries need to be encouraged.

Prime Minister Blair and I conducted a useful review of issues of global importance and concerns, particularly the future of the Doha round of trade negotiations. We also shared perspectives on developments in our region, as well as on issues relating to energy security and climate change in which the Prime Minister himself has taken a lead in drawing global attention to these crucial issues.

India deeply values friendship and co-operation with the United Kingdom. I am confident that the momentum in our relations will only gather momentum in the coming years and I thank the Prime Minister for his personal interest, strong endorsement and commitment to strengthening our bilateral relations.