Almaty (Kazakhstan), Apr. 26 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said here that there could be a coalition government in Pakistan, but it was too early to come to any conclusion.
He, however, pointed out that it was very difficult to judge what exactly would be the outcome. Khurshid said that coalition governments are emerging in many parts of the world, including India.
"But what kind of coalition, the contours of the coalition and the nature of the coalition, I think it is a little bit early to say. Let's wait and see what happens," he said, while speaking to the Indian media on the sidelines of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of member countries of the Istanbul Process in Almaty.
Khurshid said that peaceful elections in Pakistan would help the maintenance of peace in the region.
"We do believe that there is a growing peace constituency in Pakistan. That could be a good thing not just for us, but also for Pakistan. If the elections reflect the growing peace constituency and the determination to work towards peace and is reflected in the election results it would be a welcome thing," he said.
On the sidelines of the Istanbul Process in Almaty, Khurshid held bilateral meetings with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.
Khurshid pointed out that the countries of the region are desirous of joining the European Union.
"But they are also keen to look towards the east. India offers them a very major country of interest," he said.
Earlier in the day, Khurshid held meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and US special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan David Pearce.
As US-led NATO troops are planning to withdraw from Afghanistan next year, the United States is seeking regional cooperation for peace and development in the war-torn country.
"He (William Burns) will come to India as well and we look forward to his visit. He shared with us his views regarding some of the developments have taken place, including the meetings with Pakistan," said Khurshid.
While addressing the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affaris of member countries of the Istanbul Process, Khurshid pointed out that India's approach towards trade, commerce, investment opportunities and confidence building measures within the Istanbul process is rooted in the belief that Afghanistan will experience lasting peace only if short-sighted perceptions of competition and strategic depth are replaced by collaboration and economic investment in Afghanistan by countries of the region and the rest of the world.
"India does not see Afghanistan as a zone of competitive influence and wants it to be an area of opportunity for regional cooperation," he told the delegates. By Ravi Khandelwal (ANI)
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