POKHARA, Nepal : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is here to participate in the SAARC Ministerial meeting, today had an interaction with Mr Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to Pakistan Aziz, over breakfast ahead of her bilateral meeting later in the day.
Ms Swaraj was seated next to Mr Aziz at the table during the breakfast of SAARC ministers in this scenic resort of Nepal, 200 km northwest of Kathmandu. Both sides are hoping for some positive result from the meeting .
The momentum gained in the peace process between the two countries after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lahore on Christmas Day hit a road block following the Pathankot terror attack in January as it led to the cancellation of the Foreign Secretary-level talks that had been scheduled for middle of that month.
Mr Aziz while talking to reporters here yesterday expressed the hope that the meeting would be productive. He will also hand over an invitation from the Pakistan Prime Minister for the 19th SAARC Summit to be held in Islamabad.
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar met his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary and exchanged pleasantries.
The Foreign Secretaries of all SAARC countries today will discuss ways to implement plans to improve connectivity, counter terrorism, and other issues.
The External Affairs Minister along with her counterparts from SAARC countries will be participating in the ministerial meeting today to discuss the progress made on the programmes approved at the last summit of the regional association at Kathmandu in 2014. (AGENCIES)
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