In a bid to boost cooperation in the cyber security domain, India and the UK on Thursday decided to to conduct their Cyber Dialogue on a bi-annual basis to achieve objectives such as reducing the risk of threats from cyberspace to international security and tackle cyber crime.

This was announced after a comprehensive discussion between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his British counterpart William Hague on wide-ranging issues, including defence, counter-terrorism and cyber security.

A Joint Statement on Cooperation between India and the United Kingdom on Cyber Issues was also issued on the occasion.

The statement noted that as part of the India-UK Strategic Dialogue, it was agreed that their Foreign Ministries would work together on areas of common interest in the cyber domain following which London Conference on Cyberspace in 2011 was organised by the UK.

In October this year, the first structured dialogue between India and the UK on cooperation on cyber issues was held.

"Both India and the United Kingdom share the core principles of liberty, transparency, freedom of expression and the rule of law which apply in cyberspace," the statement said.

The objectives of the dialogue included enhancing international cooperation to reduce the risk of threats from cyberspace to international security and strengthening the bilateral cooperation to tackle cyber crime.

Further strengthening bilateral operational partnerships to identify and respond to threats from cyberspace and raise mutual resilience, collaborating on building skills and capacities to tackle threats from cyberspace and to use ICT for the objective of economic and social development are also part of the objectives, the statement said.

It also include using existing cooperation between universities and business communities to develop synergy in research and development on cyber issues and creating a global multi-lateral, democratic and transparent system of internet governance with participation of all stakeholders.