Russia offers mediation in emerging Pakistan-India tensions, says FM Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed Moscow’s readiness to act as a mediator in the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India, following a recent terrorist attack in the region of Pahalgam.

The statement came during Lavrov’s telephone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“Russia reaffirmed its willingness to assist in a political resolution of the situation that arose following the April 22 terrorist attack near the city of Pahalgam, provided there is mutual interest from both Islamabad and New Delhi,” the ministry said.

Notably, the two nuclear-armed neighbours are experiencing a period of heightened tensions since the April 22 attack on tourists in the scenic resort town of Pahalgam, in which at least 26 people were killed.

New Delhi linked Islamabad to the attack without offering any evidence and took a flurry of punitive measures to downgrade ties, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, revoking visas of Pakistanis, and closing Wagah-Attari border crossing, among others.

Islamabad, in response, ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and closing the main border crossing from its side.

Pakistan also denies its involvement in the attack and offered to take part in a credible and transparent investigation.

By Khagan Isayev