Pakistani and Indian prime ministers meet in Russian city amid hopes to improve relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks at a reception in honour of the participants in the BRICS and SCO Summits in Ufa, Russia, Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Alexei Druzhinin, RIA-Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

From left: Presidents of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon, South Africa Jacob Zuma, Pakistan's Premier Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, China Xi Jinping, Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdor, Russia Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iran Hassan Ruhani, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Armenia Serzh Sargsyan pose for a photo in Ufa, Russia, Thursday, July 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) (The Associated Press)

ISLAMABAD – The prime ministers of Pakistan and India have met on the sidelines of a summit in a Russian city. It's a rare meeting between the leaders from two South Asian rivals.

A statement released by Pakistan says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday at Congress Hall in Ufa, where they are attending the summit of BRICS trade group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Pakistan says the two leaders will discuss range of issues.

Pakistan and India have long tried to mend their differences without making much progress.

Earlier this week, the two sides exchanged fire near the Pakistani city of Sialkot. Last summer, India called off talks after Islamabad's ambassador in New Delhi met with Kashmiri separatist leaders.