Pakistan, India foreign secretaries meet in Colombo
Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon has informed Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir that India would be responding soon to the queries raised by Pakistan in the context of the Mumbai incident. The issue was discussed in a meeting between Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart Shivshankar held in Colombo on Thursday on the sidelines of the SAARC Standing Committee.
The meeting, which was the first between the two foreign secretaries after the Mumbai incident, was held in a cordial atmosphere. High Commissioner of Pakistan to India Shahid Malik was also present.
The two Foreign Secretaries exchanged views on broader issues of regional cooperation and agreed to continue their efforts to promote cooperation under the SAARC auspices.
They affirmed the importance of promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity, according to a press release issued by the Office of FO Spokesman here on Thursday.
The Foreign Secretaries also discussed various aspects of bilateral relations. They agreed to keep the official channels of communication open.
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir underscored the importance that Pakistan attaches to preserving the gains made in the Composite Dialogue Process.
He reiterated the need to resume the process as soon as possible with the view to promoting substantive engagement on all issues including Kashmir, for establishing friendly and good neighborly relations.
