India, Pak Foreign Ministerial talks in Jan

The last Foreign Ministerial talks were held in October 2005 when the then External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh went to Pakistan.

India and Pakistan will hold Foreign Ministerial-level talks on January 13 when External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee travels to Islamabad to invite President Pervez Musharraf for SAARC Summit here in April.

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The decision was taken in New Delhi on Monday when Mukherjee met his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri "informally" over lunch, their first interaction as Foreign Ministers.

The two leaders held one-on-one meeting followed by interaction over lunch where officials from both sides were also present. The two sides are understood to have discussed various aspects of the bilateral relations and ways to move forward on the peace process.

After about 90-minute meeting, Mukherjee said the meeting was informal as Kasuri, who was by his side, was not on an official visit.

Mukherjee said "substantive talks" will be held when he travels to Pakistan on January 13 to invite the Pakistan President on behalf of PM Manmohan Singh for the 14th SAARC summit to be held here on April 3-4.

Kasuri said Mukherjee and he realise the importance of the relations between the two countries and feel the need to develop trust.

"We both agreed that India-Pakistan relations are very important. We need to develop trust," Kasuri said.