Khurshid returns from two-nation visit

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid tonight returned home after a two-nation visit during which he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Meeting in Kyrgyzstan where he also met his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz.
Khurshid also went to Uzbekistan where he had bilateral talks with its Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.
The highlight of the Khurshid's visit was the meeting with Aziz in which Pakistan informed India that it has named a new prosecutor for the much-delayed Mumbai attacks trial and will send a judicial commission on September 23 to cross-examine key Indian witnesses.
The Indian minister also told Aziz that there has to be a "conducive atmosphere" for a meeting between the premiers of the two countries in New York later this month.

At the SCO, India sought full member status of six-nation grouping, saying it was keen to deepen security-related cooperation with it, particularly its anti-terror mechanism.
Addressing the SCO's Heads of State Summit in Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, Khurshid reiterated India's stand that it is ready to play a larger role in SCO as a full member, once the organisation reaches consensus on its expansion.

He also expressed India's desire to deepen its security-related cooperation with the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) in particular.
He also held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Kyrgyz leaders during the summit.
After Kyrgyzstan, Khurshid went to Uzbekistan capital Tashkent where he had bilateral talks with his counterpart Kamilov. He also chaired a regional conference of Indian heads of mission there.

From Tashkent, Khurshid went to Samarkhand where he visited places of historical interest en route to the national capital.