The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan called for a new "cooperative' relationship between their two countries Wednesday, as they held their first meeting since peace talks resumed earlier this year.Following their talks in the Indian capital, New Delhi, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said relations were "on the right track." The two officials agreed during the meeting to work together to combat terrorism and increase trade.Before the meeting, Krishna had told reporters that cooperation with Pakistan is in the interest of peace, not only for the two nations, but for "the entire region and beyond."
Pakistan's newly-appointed foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors should not be "held hostage by the past." Wednesday's talks also were expected to focus on the disputed region of Kashmir.On Tuesday, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir, met in New Delhi to lay the groundwork for Wednesday's higher-level talks. The two foreign secretaries discussed confidence-building measures including cross-border trade and travel through Kashmir.Peace talks between the South Asian neighbors resumed in February, nearly two years after 166 people were killed in an attack by Pakistani militants in India's financial capital, Mumbai.
印度和巴基斯坦外长星期三呼吁两国之间建立新的“合作”关系。两个国家在今年早些时候恢复和谈后举行首次会晤。在印度首都新德里会晤后，印度外长克利希纳说，印巴关系“走上正轨”。两位官员在会议期间一致同意共同努力打击和增加贸易。克利希纳在会谈之前告诉记者，与巴基斯坦的合作有利于印巴以及“整个地区和更广泛”的和平。
巴基斯坦新任外长哈尔说，两个核武邻国之间的关系不应该“受制于过去”。周三的会谈预计还将聚焦有争议的克什米尔问题。星期二，印度外交秘书尼鲁帕玛·拉奥与巴基斯坦外交秘书巴希尔在新德里会面，为星期三的更高层的会谈做准备。这两位外交秘书讨论了两国建立互信的措施，其中包括跨境贸易以及旅行通过克什米尔地区等事宜。这两个南亚邻国今年2月恢复和谈。将近两年前，巴基斯坦激进分子对印度金融中心孟买发动袭击，造成166人死亡。