Colombo, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday that the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India was in the interest of both countries.

    He made the remarks at a news conference held here after the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

    The foreign ministers of eight SAARC member countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka Thursday held a meeting here as a precursor of the 15th SAARC Summit.

    Addressing the news conference, Qureshi said Pakistan respected the ceasefire because both Pakistan and India gained from mutual restraint.

    Whenever there are some minor incidents on the Line of Control which disturb the peace, a solid mechanism between the two countries will be there to tackle the problem, he said.

    Referring to the trade of fire that occurred on the Line of Control recently, Qureshi said the Commandos officers reacted quickly and ended the clash.

    The ceasefire is in operation for around five years and it is in the mutual interest of Pakistan and India to protect it, Qureshi said, adding that the ceasefire would continue.

    Terming the bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart constructive, Qureshi said that every aspect of Pakistan-India relationship would be discussed at the meeting between the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers at the sidelines of the summit.

    The 15th SAARC Summit, with a theme called "SAARC: Partnership for our people", will be held here on Aug. 2-3. Food security, terrorism, energy, environment and other issues will be discussed at the summit.