Playing a role to bring Delhi, Islamabad to the talks table says UAE in first official confirmation

New Delhi, Apr 16: The United Arab Emirates has given the first official confirmation that it was playing a role in bringing Delhi and Islamabad to the talks table. UAE's envoy said that the country was helping India and Pakistan reach a healthy and functional relationship.

Ambassador Yousef Otaiba said that the UAE is trying to be helpful where they have an influence with the two different countries, so India and Pakistan was the most recent one. He also spoke of the role UAE pleased in bringing the Kashmir escalation down and sort of created a ceasefire. The Ambassador was responding to a question during a conversation with US National Security Advisor H R McMaster under the aegis of Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

They may not become best friends, but at least we want to get it to a level where it is functional, where it is operational, where they are speaking to each other, where there are lines of communication and that is out goal, he also added.

"You know we don't think they're going to become, you know, Most Favoured Nations with each other, but I think it's important for them to have a healthy, functional relationship, which is exactly our objective," the envoy also said.