Russia says willing to help resolve India-Pakistan differences over Kashmir

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed by both countries and has been the focus of several wars, an insurgency and diplomatic stand-offs

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke to his Pakistani counterpart on Sunday and offered Russia’s help in resolving tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, the foreign ministry said.

“Particular attention was paid to the significant rise in tension between New Delhi and Islamabad,” the ministry said in a statement, 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 resulting from the act of terrorism of April 22 in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley, in the event of a mutual desire on the part of Islamabad and New Delhi,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Lavrov’s conversation with Dar took place two days after he spoke to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and also called for a settlement of differences between the two neighbouring countries.

Suspected militants killed at least 26 people in last week’s attack on a mountain tourist destination in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed by both countries and has been the focus of several wars, an insurgency and diplomatic stand-offs.

Russia has been India’s largest weapons provider for decades and New Delhi and Moscow have had close ties since Soviet times.