ISLAMABAD: 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.