NEW DELHI, Jan 27: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah ended a landmark visit to India on Friday with a Delhi Declaration he signed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which among other agreements stressed the importance of talks between his hosts and Pakistan.

Both leaders also lent support to a Middle East plan that aimed to set up a Palestinian state alongside Israel, assuring equal protection to both.

Although the declaration did not directly refer to the Kashmir dispute, there was no doubt that it was high up in the summit agenda. “The two sides welcomed the ongoing dialogue between India and Pakistan and their continued efforts aimed at settling outstanding issues between the two countries,” it said.

The two sides also exchanged views that touched upon the mutual interests of both countries as well as the security, stability, peace and prosperity in the whole region, the declaration said.

Both countries agreed that “terrorism is a scourge for all mankind and there is a need to intensify and coordinate bilateral, regional and global cooperation to combat and eradicate the menace of terrorism.”

The two governments would closely cooperate to fight terrorism and other trans-national crimes like money laundering, drugs and arms smuggling in a sustained manner.

In the hydrocarbon sector, the two countries agreed to reliable, stable and increased volume of crude oil supplies.