India and Britain need to boost cooperation in combating terrorism, which threatens both countries, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday before leaving for London. «Given the common threats we face, cooperation in the area of combating terrorism has become particularly significant,» Singh told reporters before his departure. Singh also said that he wanted talks with his British counterpart Tony Blair to focus on investment and trade. Singh said in recent years that there has been a substantial deepening of relations between the two countries over a variety of issues, including science and technology, energy, education and research and cultural ties. After a three-day visit to Britain, Singh heads to Helsinki for a two-day India-EU summit that starts Oct. 13. In Finland, which currently chairs the EU, both sides will try to agree on a framework for negotiating a trade and investment agreement that will substantially lift barriers to economic exchanges between the two sides. The deal was first proposed at last year's summit in New Delhi.
