Summary This will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in over 3 years.
NEW DELHI (Web Desk) - Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has left for Pakistan to attend multilateral conference in Islamabad, spokesperson for Indian Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup reported on Tuesday.
EAM @sushmaswaraj emplanes for Pakistan to attend 5th Ministerial Conference on Heart of Asia Istanbul Process pic.twitter.com/2ySBb8ODIc
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) December 8, 2015
India is looking for a substantive engagement with Pakistan during Swaraj‘s 2-day visit to Islamabad.
The Indian government officially confirmed on Monday that Swaraj would visit Pakistan to attend the Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad.
Accompanied by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, she will call on Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and also hold a meeting with PM‘s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
This will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in over 3 years.
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Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday said that the focus will be on resumption of the composite dialogue process while the Indian media reported that all outstanding issues will be discussed in these meetings.
Sushma Swaraj‘s Pakistan visit takes place after the National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan met in Thai capital Bangkok on Sunday and "agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement".
HEART OF ASIA CONFERENCE
Pakistan is hosting the Fifth Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference in Islamabad on December 9, 2015.
High-ranking delegations from 14 Participating States, 17 Supporting Countries and 12 International and Regional Organizations are participating in the conference while foreign ministers from ten countries have confirmed participation in the Conference.
The Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process was established in 2011 at the initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey. The main objective of the Process is to foster efforts for regional cooperation and connectivity with a view to promoting long-term peace and stability as well as progress and development in Afghanistan, and the region.
The Fifth Ministerial Conference is expected to adopt a forward looking Islamabad Declaration entitled "Enhanced Cooperation for Countering Security Threats and Promoting Connectivity in the Heart of Asia Region". The Declaration would underline commitments from the Heart of Asia countries and partners for sustained efforts towards promoting peace and security, economic development and connectivity in the region.
