New Delhi, July 31 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Andy Burnham on Friday pledged to fully harness the trade and investment potential of a trade deal operationalised this month and to deepen cooperation in key sectors such as technology, defence and security.

The two leaders also discussed the West Asia crisis during a phone call and agreed to work closely together for de-escalation and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This was the first interaction between them since Burnham became the PM on July 20, succeeding Keir Starmer.

Modi said in a social media post that he congratulated Burnham on becoming PM and conveyed his best wishes for a successful tenure.

"We will also collaborate closely to fully harn...