Relations between India and Pakistan are no longer tainted "by a climate of distrust, suspicion and anger," as both nations make steady progress in talks aimed at improving ties, India's foreign minister said Saturday. External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's comments came after the nuclear-armed neighbors announced on Thursday that they will hold another round of talks this year on outstanding issues, including the contested Himalayan territory of Kashmir. Since last year, India and Pakistan have taken steps to bury five decades of hostility, restoring travel links and launching talks to settle disputes including Kashmir _ the main flashpoint between the two sides. "The India-Pakistan relations have taken a turn for the better," Singh told a group of South Asian journalists on Saturday, adding the countries were making steady progress in talks. "Today, the climate that characterizes India-Pakistan relations is significantly different as compared to 2002," Singh said. "There is no longer a climate of distrust, suspicion and anger in India-Pakistan relations." Singh was speaking to journalists from throughout South Asia, who had gathered for a conference in New Delhi. They included 16 journalists from Pakistan who visited the Indian portion of Kashmir for the first time since 1948.
