ISLAMABAD, April 19: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has ruled out backchannel talks with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, who is also in the Gulf country.
“I am here for a bilateral visit and not an India-specific agenda. My agenda is UAE-Pakistan and not India-Pakistan,” The Express Tribune quoted Qureshi as saying to reporters in Dubai on Sunday, a day after reaching the UAE, putting an end to speculations of a possible meeting with Jaishankar.
“I don’t think a meeting is set out with the Indian Foreign Minister… We want peace in the region and cordial ties with all our neighbours including India,” he added.
The Minister welcomed the UAE’s mediation in resolving Pakistan’s issues with India.
“We welcome third-party facilitation but no matter what friends say, the initiative has to be indigenous,” he added.