ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The United States has lauded the positive development in Pak-India relations and said that the dialogue process between the two South Asian Countries needs to be continued.
“We want to see the discussions continue, so we’re encouraged by the recent dialogue between India and Pakistan,” the US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said at his daily press briefing in Washington on December 9.
On Wednesday, Pakistan and India agreed to resume composite dialogue under the new title of ‘Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue’.
“It’s exactly what we’ve been strongly trying to encourage,” John Kirby said.
In a statement issued after a joint press conference of Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held in Islamabad on Wednesday, it was told that the Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India will work out the modalities of the meeting.
Under the ‘Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue’, matters including Peace and Security, Confidence Building Measures, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage, Tulbul Navigation Project, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Counterterrorism, Narcotics Control and Humanitarian Issues, People to People exchanges and Religious Tourism will be discussed.
The bilateral discussion between the two countries was held as the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was in Pakistan on a two-day official visit to attend the fifth Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial conference.
Earlier on December 8, John Kirby told reporters that normalization of India-Pakistan relations is vital not only for both countries but also for the entire region.
Kirby said that Pakistan and India “stood to benefit from practical cooperation,” and the US encouraged both India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions.
