President General Pervez Musharraf has said that he was hopeful of striking a good working relationship with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of their first meeting here.
Musharraf said he hoped the talks, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, would be a first step towards resolving the two countries' longstanding disputes, such as the occupied Kashmir stand-off.
"This first meeting is obviously good to develop relationships, to develop understandings because I think that's more important as a prerequisite towards working towards solutions," Musharraf told BBC television in remarks broadcast early Wednesday.
"Then together with this understanding we can evaluate or work out our future progress."
Musharraf also said he was hopeful the two sides would be able to work towards a resolution to the dispute over occupied Kashmir.
"I am optimistic that we will strike a good balance in our relationship," he said.