Pakistan, India to meet again to resolve Sir Creek row
Pakistan and India vowed to find an "amicable settlement" to the Sir Creek row.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and India vowed on Saturday to find an "amicable settlement" to the Sir Creek row.
Senior defence officials of the two countries met for two days in Rawalpindi to discuss ways and means to resolve the row.
"Both sides exchanged non-papers (proposals) in order to take their discussions forward, with a view to finding an amicable settlement of the issue," according to a joint statement issued on Saturday at the end of the talks.
"The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere," the statement said, adding that the two sides would meet again.
The dispute over the 100-km estuary has hampered exploration for oil and gas and led to the detention of hundreds of fishermen from the two countries when they stray across the poorly demarcated border.
A survey of the Sir Creek estuary had been conducted by Pakistan and India in 2007. The two sides agreed to resume the process in February and held trade talks last month on boosting economic ties.
The Sir Creek issue is one of the more easily resolved issues between India and Pakistan, analysts say, and could lead to progress on more contentious disputes like the one on Siachen, the world's highest battlefield in Kashmir, where thousands of troops are holed up in freezing temperatures that have killed more soldiers than fighting.
Pakistan and India vowed on Saturday to find an "amicable settlement" to the Sir Creek row.
Senior defence officials of the two countries met for two days in Rawalpindi to discuss ways and means to resolve the row.
"Both sides exchanged non-papers (proposals) in order to take their discussions forward, with a view to finding an amicable settlement of the issue," according to a joint statement issued on Saturday at the end of the talks.
"The talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere," the statement said, adding that the two sides would meet again.
The dispute over the 100-km estuary has hampered exploration for oil and gas and led to the detention of hundreds of fishermen from the two countries when they stray across the poorly demarcated border.
A survey of the Sir Creek estuary had been conducted by Pakistan and India in 2007. The two sides agreed to resume the process in February and held trade talks last month on boosting economic ties.
The Sir Creek issue is one of the more easily resolved issues between India and Pakistan, analysts say, and could lead to progress on more contentious disputes like the one on Siachen, the world's highest battlefield in Kashmir, where thousands of troops are holed up in freezing temperatures that have killed more soldiers than fighting.