India says no request has been received from Pakistan for bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the sixth Heart of Asia Conference beginning this Saturday in Amritsar, Punjab.
This was informed by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup during his weekly media briefings today.
At the conference, ministers from as many as 40 countries will discuss peace, cooperation and economic development in Afghanistan.
Briefing on the conference, Afghan Ambassador to India Dr. Shaida Abdali said terrorism is greatest threat facing the region and Afghanistan hopes that Heart of Asia conference will adopt a counterterror framework.
Expressing condolences for the tragic terror attack in Nagrota, Abdali said Afghanistan condemns it in the strongest possible terms.
MEA Joint Secretary Gopal Bagley said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will inaugurate the conference.
He said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will co-chair the conference, instead of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is unwell.