New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday held a telephonic conversation with his British counterpart Grant Shapps, focusing on ways to develop deeper India-UK cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The defence ministry said Singh and Shapps briefly reviewed the ongoing bilateral defence engagements and discussed possible cooperation in new domains.

'Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps on November 13. Both ministers discussed a range of defence and security issues with particular emphasis on the Indo-Pacific,' it said.

'They briefly reviewed the ongoing engagements and discussed possible cooperation in new domains,' the ministry said in a statement.

Singh and Shapps explored ways and means to develop closer defence relations, it said.

'Grant Shapps invited the defence minister to visit the UK in the near future. The defence minister congratulated Shapps on his appointment as the Secretary of State for Defence,' it said.

Shapps was appointed as the defence secretary in August. He replaced Ben Wallace.

The phone conversation between Singh and Shapps came amid the ongoing visit to the UK by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. PTI MPB KVK KVK