Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna met Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday and said that the social exchanges between the officials of the two countries will go a long way in normalising relations between them. Krishna met Khar at a reception hosted by the Pakistani mission to the United Nations (UN) at a New York hotel. Echoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s sentiments that a country cannot choose its neighbours, Krishna told the reporters that it was necessary to normalise relations with Pakistan.
“The fact is Pakistan happens to be a close neighbour with whom we have connection also in terms of civilization. We have common history, background and language. Hence it is necessary to normalise our relationship”, Krishna stressed. Noting that the Pakistani delegation was “obviously very, very happy” with his presence at the reception, Krishna said he too was very pleased with his visit to the social gathering. Khar later escorted Krishna to his car as he left the reception.
