COLOMBO  - The premiers of Pakistan and India will thrash out a plan this weekend to improve ties strained by border clashes and bomb attacks on Indian targets, Pakistan's Foreign Minister said Thursday. Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters that he and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee had "agreed mutually" that their prime ministers "will come out with a comprehensive statement on (future) bilateral engagement." Qureshi was speaking after the pair met behind closed doors to lay the groundwork for Saturday's talks between Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Colombo. He added that his talks with Mukherjee had helped "clear the air" between the two nuclear-armed rivals which have fought three wars, two over the disputed Occupied Kashmir. "A lot of steam had been let out of the pressure cooker. The dish we're going to cook is going to be for the betterment of the region," he said. The talks between Gilani and Manmohan will mark the highest-level interaction between the two countries in 15 months. Qureshi said that the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India was in the interest of both countries. He 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 Army 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. He said "minor incidents" should not overshadow what he called Islamabad's positive contribution to combating terrorism. "Pakistan's positive contributions should not be overlooked when minor incidents take place," Qureshi said when asked about US media reports that Islamabad was linked to a surge of violence across the border in Afghanistan. "Pakistan has cooperated and will cooperate fully... When people point fingers at Pakistan, they must realise that Pakistan has apprehended 600 known terrorists," Qureshi said on sidelines of a South Asian meet in Colombo. "Pakistan is a country which is cooperating with its partners and allies in the fight against extremism and terrorism." He did not elaborate on the "minor incidents," but said Pakistan was ready to investigate any allegations. The South Asian regional summit is also being held in the shadow of a series of bomb blasts in India, and one at India's embassy in Kabul this month, which India blamed on Pakistan's spy agency. The attacks killed more than 100 people. Mukherjee was more guarded in his comments, telling reporters separately that the ministers had shared "perceptions about bilateral relations, the composite dialogue (peace talks) and certain recent events." He declined to elaborate about his meeting with Qureshi, which lasted about an hour, sources close to the talks told AFP. Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan had threatened to cast a shadow over the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit aimed at improving regional economic growth and cooperation, which begins Saturday (tomorrow). According to Doordarshan, Pranab took up the issue of recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control during talks with Qureshi. "We shared our perception about our bilateral relations, the composite dialogue and certain recent events," Mukherjee told reporters after the meeting with Qureshi by his side. He said the two nations' prime ministers would meet on Saturday on the sidelines of the summit. Qureshi recalled that he had a very pleasant meeting with his Indian counterpart when he had visited Delhi. "It was a very positive engagement," he said. On his talks with Mukherjee, he said "the discussion today was frank, candid and open discussion. We discussed a host of issues of mutual concern."