The United States has applauded the progress in the talks between India and Pakistan. Talking to reporters in Washington, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that the US is pleased at the decision of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to accept the invitation of President Asif Ali Zardari to visit Pakistan in the near future. She said, the US believes that expanded and improved engagement between these two countries is not only going to help the neighbours, it will help the entire region to live in a more secure and stable atmosphere.

President Zardari visited India on Sunday on a day-long private tour, during which he met Dr. Singh in New Delhi and then went to Ajmer to offer prayers at the shrine of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.