Cameron meets visiting Hollande as UK-France Summit kicks off

The annual UK-France Summit kicked off on Friday as French President Francois Hollande was welcomed here by British Prime Minister David Cameron at the RAF Brize Norton base in the county of Oxfordshire. "The UK-France Summit 2014 will focus on co-operation on foreign affairs, defence and security, nuclear energy and space," read a statement by 10 Downing Street. The ministers of foreign affairs, defence, energy and science of both sides will also be attending the talks, the statement added. "France is one of our most important partners and this summit is an opportunity to further strengthen the co-operation between our two countries. Britain will try to persuade France to back plans for EU reform, as Cameron plans to hold a referendum on EU membership in 2017 if the Conservatives win the next general election. The two countries will also discuss military support of each other and cooperation on heavy military equipment, particularly the purchase of anti-ship missiles and building a fleet of unarmed combat drones. Other issues they are expected to discuss include international matters like the political crises in Syria and the Ukraine, the Iranian nuclear issue, and deteriorating economies in Africa.