London, Sept 22 : Visiting Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma has held discussions with Ed Miliband, Minister for the Cabinet Office on bilateral relations between India and the United Kingdom.

Sharma, who arrived here on Thursday on a four-day official visit, also held discussions with Miliband on issues flowing from the International Conference on Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment: Gandhi and Philosophy in the 21st century, which the latter had attended as an official representative of the United Kingdom.

Sharma met Digby Jones, Minister for Trade and Investment in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and reviewed the current status of Indo-UK economic and commercial relations; and explored the possibility of increasing opportunities in investment and trade.

During his meeting with Jones, Sharma conveyed the concerns expressed by the NASSCOM on revisions to UK work permits regulations. Jones has offered to coordinate an appropriate response by the UK Government to meet NASSCOM’s concerns.

Both the leaders discussed the forthcoming visit of a UK trade delegation led by Jones to India from September 24 to 28.

Sharma addressed a distinguished gathering at Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, the UK’s leading foreign policy think tank, on “Emerging India and its engagement with the 21st Century World.”

Sharma will be a Keynote Speaker at the Fifth Annual Eurasia Conference in Judge Business School, University of Cambridge on Saturday.

The theme of the meeting is “India in the 21st century and its engagement in the Caspian and wider Central Eurasian Region.” (With inputs from ANI)