India, Pakistan hold security meeting to break ice in relations

(Baonghean) - India's foreign minister said on Friday, July 10, India and Pakistan have agreed to hold a meeting of their national security advisers to resolve the 2008 Mumbai terror attack trial, as the two countries seek to thaw relations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New Delhi on27/5/2014.

The announcements came after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of a regional summit in Ufa, Russia. The talks come after a year of tensions between the countries, with clashes on the border in the disputed region of Kashmir during Modi’s first year in office.

"Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and agreed to work together to eliminate this menace from South Asia," Pakistani Foreign Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Aizaz told reporters at a joint press conference with his counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. To ensure peace, Chaudhry said, the leaders "are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues."

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar said Mr Modi also accepted Mr Sharif's invitation to attend a meeting of South Asian leaders in Pakistan in 2016. It would be the first trip by an Indian leader to Pakistan in more than a decade.

On the eve of the July 10 talks, Indian officials said an Indian border guard was shot dead by a Pakistani sniper in northern Kashmir.

Phuong Thao

(According to Reuters 10/7)