External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi are expected to hold a telephonic talk on Tuesday to discuss ways to reduce trust deficit in pursuance to the decision reached between prime ministers of the two countries in Thimphu.
Krishna had told Rajya Sabha last Thursday that he would talk to Qureshi the next day, but sources said it could not happen due to scheduling mismatch. The telephonic talk is now expected on Tuesday, the sources said. The two foreign ministers are also expected to discuss when and where they will meet next.
They are also likely to discuss the next meeting of the foreign secretaries. When asked when the telephonic talk could take place, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said the two sides are trying to identify a 'mutually convenient' time slot for the telephonic conversation.
He noted that in Thimphu, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani had asked their external affairs ministers and foreign secretaries to meet as soon as possible.
"So you know that the framework is already there. The only thing is to decide to identify the mutually convenient time slot to have the conversation and both the countries are in touch with each other to identify that slot," Prakash mediapersons.
Dr Singh and Gilani, who met on the sidelines of SAARC Summit, had asked the foreign ministers and foreign secretaries to discuss ways to reduce "trust deficit".
On Thursday, Krishna had said India had decided to have a dialogue as there has been a 'transformation' in ties, with assurances by the Pakistan PM that India's 'core concern' with regard to terrorism would be addressed adequately.
