Lavrov reiterates Russia’s mediation offer in phone call to Qureshi

Russian FM also offers provision of venue for peace talks between India and Pakistan

Russian Foreign Minister Viktorovich Lavrov reiterated offer of mediation and provision of venue for peace talks between India and Pakistan during a telephone call with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday.

Foreign Minister Qureshi appreciated Russia’s balanced and constructive role in de-escalation of tensions in the region, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

The Russian foreign minister encouraged Pakistan and India to resolve all issues through dialogue and peaceful means.

Foreign Minister Qureshi welcomed the Russian offer and added that he had acknowledged Russia’s constructive role from the floor of the Joint Session of Parliament earlier in the day, which was well-received.



The two foreign ministers agreed to continue consultations for promotion of peace and stability in the region.

Frantic diplomatic efforts involving a number of countries are underway to prevent any further escalation in the crisis between the nuclear-armed Pakistan and India as tensions continued to grip the South Asian region.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), UK and European Union (EU) are also involved in both overt and covert diplomacy to find a way out of the current impasse between the two countries.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has also acknowledged his country’s role in cooling down the tense situation between Pakistan and India.

On Thursday, he said the US was “involved in trying” to deescalate the tensions between Pakistan and India and stressed that he had had “reasonably attractive news from” both the countries.