The first high-level meeting, after the Mumbai attacks, between the national leaders of India and Pakistan is expected to take place in Moscow in the coming week. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be meeting in the Russian capital around June 15 for bilateral talks. The possibility of the meeting is said to have been influenced by the efforts of the US, as against a months-long reluctance on the Indian side for holding bilateral talks.

It is still not learnt what exactly will come under discussion between Zardari and Singh. Sources in India and Pakistan still think of the meeting as ‘unstructured’. Foreign Ministers of both countries are also said to be accompanying the leaders and be present in the meeting. Talking points are under preparation for the meeting for whose scheduling sources are crediting the US. While the meeting is expected to be short and very formal, it is certainly going to be a determinant of the nature of future interaction between the countries.