Adviser to the Pakistani prime minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz on Saturday evening left for Amritsar to attend the Heart of Asia ministerial conference, Dawn News reported.

Upon his arrival, he was received by Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit and the joint secretary of Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

The Heart of Asia ministerial conference began in Amritsar today amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India, triggering speculation as to whether the two countries will engage in bilateral talks on the sidelines of the event.

Aziz is leading the Pakistani delegation to the meeting of the process that focuses on regional cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours to improve connectivity and tackle security threats.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates are part of the Heart of Asia initiative launched in 2011 for encouraging economic and security cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors for dealing with the common problems of terrorism, extremism and poverty.

Source: MENA