Indian Prime Minister Manhmohan Singh on Monday said that he hopes his country would conclude a lasting peace agreement with rival Pakistan.
According to AFP, Singh said at a conference of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, "I earnestly hope that relations between our two countries become so friendly that we can generate an atmosphere of trust between each other and that the two nations are able to agree on a treaty of peace, security and friendship."
The premier's statement came ahead of a two-day visit by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Pakistan planned for January 13. Singh was also scheduled to invite Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to New Delhi for a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation conference in April 2007.
The visit will also be used to review the peace process the two countries initiated in January 2004.
Singh said, "India cannot be a prosperous, dynamic economy and a stable polity if our neighborhood as a whole is also not economically prosperous and politically stable.
"And similarly, our neighbors cannot prosper if India does not do so as well. There are enormous opportunities for promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in South Asia. To exploit these opportunities, the nations of South Asia have to work sincerely to control the scourge of terrorism and extremism."
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