Constructive Indo-Pak relationship good for region: US

WASHINGTON: A constructive relationship between India and Pakistan is good for the two countries and the stability of the region, the US has said.

"We always welcome these kinds of exchanges and dialogue between India and Pakistan," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the brief meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Paris on Monday.

"A constructive relationship between the two countries is not only good for the two countries but good for the region and the stability of the region," Toner said.

Modi and Sharif had a brief meeting during which they warmly held hands before sitting down for a chat, with the Indian side describing the encounter as a "brief exchange of courtesies" but Pakistanis terming it as a "good" meeting.