India's new foreign minister told his Pakistani counterpart on Thursday that the two countries should bury their past rivalry ahead of new negotiations between the nuclear powers, a statement said.
Natwar Singh of India telephoned Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and told him "that from now the future of India-Pakistan relations would not lie in the past," a foreign ministry statement said.
"The telephone conversation touched on all issues of bilateral interest and was conducted in a spirit of friendship, cordiality and bonhomie," the statement added.
Singh made the call after Pakistan's high commissioner (ambassador) to New Delhi Aziz Ahmad Khan visited his office as well as that of the Foreign Secretary Shashank, who like many Indians has only one name.