UK for deepening cooperation with India in education sector

"Education offers a big opportunity for greater cooperation between the UK and India - beyond the traditional cooperation," Simon Fraser, the new head of the British Foreign Office, said.

He said Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to India last year laid a major focus on "enhanced relationship between the two countries, offering great opportunities for cooperation in the fields of economy and other fields," he said.

Fraser said the UK, known for its expertise in higher education, plans to implement steps to enhance bilateral cooperation in education.

Noting that the coalition government was following a "distinctive foreign policy", he told reporters last evening that, "while focusing on developing new relationship, we are not ignoring the existing relationship."

About the government's priorities in Asia, Fraser said Britain plans to explore new areas of cooperation with India and China, including education, economy, climate change and a whole gamut of issues.

To a question on Islamabad, he said the government was working to make Pakistan, an important ally, a strong nation so that it takes effective steps against terrorism.

"We are working to ensure that Pakistan develops a political system, is strong and is about to take effective steps against terrorism," he said.

As the UK struggles to move out of recession, he agreed that the Foreign Office was facing a cash crunch. Conceding that the Foreign Office was facing a 10 per cent cut in its budget, he said it would not affect in expanding its network.