Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday confirmed he will meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, after raised tensions between the neighbours.
“During my visit to New York, I… look forward to bilateral meetings with the leaders of some of our neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan,” Singh said in a statement before leaving for the United States.
The meeting had been in jeopardy after five Indian soldiers were killed in August along the Line of Control (LoC), an ambush which Delhi blamed on the Pakistan Army.
Islamabad denied any responsibility for the ambush, which sparked weeks of tensions and deadly military skirmishes between the neighbours over the Himalayan territory.
Both sides have been accusing each other for the similar violations but since winning an election in May, Nawaz has been vocal in his desire for better relations with India, but the recent flare-ups along the LoC have overshadowed the prospects.
The meeting, which the local media have said is expected to take place on the weekend, raises hopes of improved relations, including a resumption of stalled peace talks.
A deadly flare-up along the LoC in January brought a halt to official peace talks that had only just resumed.