Islamabad: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit in Maldives led to a positive exchange of views.
His comments came in the wake of media speculations that Karzai had been extremely ‘chilly’ in his demeanour in the wake of Pakistan’s suspected role in the assassination of former Afghan President Professor Rabbani.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said Gilani also highlighted Pakistan’s initiatives to augment ties with Afghanistan at the meeting.
The spokesperson added that Pakistan had always demonstrated goodwill towards Afghanistan and believed that the Maldives summit would foster peaceful relations between both sides.
Gilani reiterated that Pakistan supported an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and that his country would continue to work constructively for strengthening relations with Afghanistan.
He said Professor Rabbani’s tragic assassination constituted a setback to the peace process.
Karzai underscored the significance of Af-Pak ties at the meeting, the Daily Times reports.
Both sides agreed to implement the decisions reached at the recent Istanbul Trilateral Summit.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, November 13, 2011, 11:47