London:
On his maiden visit to India since taking over as the British Prime Minister, David Cameron today backed New Delhi's bid for a seat in the UN Security Council.
(Read: Full text of David Cameron's speech) "India matters to the world because it is not only a rising power, it is a responsible global power," he said.
Cameron said Britain welcomes India's significant support to Afghanistan and 'vital' efforts in Nepal and Bhutan.
India is also a leading provider of peacekeeping troops to the UN, he said.
"And as I saw for myself at the G20, your Prime Minister has personally provided great intellectual leadership in economic matters," he said during his visit to the Infosys campus here.
"That is why the time has come for India to take the seat it deserves in the UN Security Council," Cameron said.
Cameron is accompanied by a delegation comprising his cabinet colleagues, CEOs of leading business houses, Vice-Chancellors of reputed universities, other dignitaries and senior officials.
Cameron said it made sense for both Britain and India to elevate their relationship to new heights.
"But this is not just about Britain and India. This is a relationship that can benefit the world," he said.
He said there were three major global challenges "that we have a duty to meet together challenges that should shape our relationship"---economic, security and climate change.
"By forging business links together, by tackling threats to our security together and by taking on the challenge of climate change together we can raise our relationship to new heights," he added.