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.