The leading centers for strategic studies of Pakistan and India have signed an agreement on cooperation, Itar-Tass reported. The first of the kind document on interaction between the Indian Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and the Pakistani Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS) was signed in New Delhi on Monday, local press reported today. IDSA director Narendra Sisodia and ISS head Shireen Mazari attended the signing ceremony. The two countries' representatives stressed that the document was another step towards the strengthening of trust between India and Pakistan. “The aim of the agreement is to create channels of interaction at the level of experts in the field of defense and security, since in the past such contacts were limited because of tension in relations,” Sisodia said. The agreement envisages exchanging visits of representatives of scientific centers to participate in seminars, conferences and other events. In the future, it is planned to work out a programme of joint studies in the field of defense and security. A proposal on the two institutes' interaction was put forward by India within the framework of the peace dialogue on settling bilateral relations in 2004.
