Russia offers help in resolving tensions between Pakistan, India over Kashmir issue

ISLAMABAD: In a recent development, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has extended a hand to provide Russia’s assistance in the to resolve the building tensions between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Ministry reported.

This development comes after the Russian Foreign Minister had a conversation with his Pakistani counterpart and offered help to Pakistan in resolving the matter.

The ministry said in a statement: “Particular attention is paid to the significant rise in tension between New Delhi and Islamabad,” referring to Lavrov‘s conversation with Ishaq Dar, who is also Pakistan‘s Deputy Prime Minister.

“It was stressed that Russia is ready to act for a political settlement of the situation stemming from the impulse of the act of terrorism of April 22 in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley, pending the mutual desire of the parties in Islamabad and New Delhi,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Lavrov‘s conversation with Dar came two days after he spoke with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and called for a resolution of the differences between the two neighboring countries.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, Ishaq Dar discussed recent developments in the region during conversations with Lavrov. Dar rejected India’s baseless allegations and inflammatory rhetoric against Pakistan.

In his comments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underscored the seriousness of the concerns raised and stressed the need for diplomacy and restraint by all parties involved to get it under control.

Significantly, last week, suspected militants killed at least 26 people in an attack on a mountainous tourist destination in Pahalgam in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Russia has been the largest supplier of weapons to India for decades, and New Delhi and Moscow have enjoyed close ties since the Soviet era.