India would like to work with Pakistan to help SAARC achieve its potential: Jaishankar

Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India would like to work with Pakistan to help SAARC achieve its potential.

Interacting with media after his talks with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Jaishankar said that he was glad to be in Islamabad as part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's SAARC Yatra initiative.

"I conveyed the expectations of our leadership on SAARC and their determination to forge a cooperative relationship with all our neighbours. We discussed ideas and initiatives to take SAARC forward. Pakistan will be the next SAARC Chair and India would like to work with Pakistan to help SAARC achieve its potential," he said.

"Naturally, my visit provided an opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations. We engaged on each other's concerns and interests in an open manner. We agreed to work together to find common ground and narrow differences. I reiterated our known concerns on cross-border terrorism, including on the Mumbai case. We agreed that ensuring peace and tranquillity on the border was vital. Our talks were held in a constructive and positive atmosphere," he stated further.

He said that he was looking forward to calling on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later in the evening.