Russia ready to mediate Pakistan’s issues with India, Afghanistan: envoy

#Russia #ready #mediate #Pakistans #issues #India #Afghanistan #envoy

Russia’s ambassador to Pakistan has extended his country’s offer to mediate in Islamabad’s disputes with India and Afghanistan amid strained relations with its neighbours.

Islamabad’s relations with India have been strained since the four-day war in May, while the Afghan Taliban government also drew Pakistan into a brief conflict last month.

Speaking during a dialogue organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad on Wednesday, Ambassador Albert Khoryu said that Russia is ready to mediate in disputes between Pakistan and India as well as between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“We also share mutual concern about regional security, especially the situation in Afghanistan, and support cooperation to ensure peace, combat terrorism and contribute to social and economic development,” he added.

Ambassador Khoryu maintained that Russia views Pakistan as an important regional partner, and said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to establish a greater Eurasian partnership in the country has significance.

He said the initiative suggested that “regional issues should be resolved by regional actors”.

The Russian envoy was of the view that tensions in relations between South Asian countries were “often provoked by external states”.

Islamabad has repeatedly expressed gratitude to friendly countries for their efforts to mediate tensions with Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, the Foreign Office said Pakistan welcomed any attempt to mediate tensions between bordering countries.

“We welcome Iran’s mediation efforts. We believe they can play an important role in mediation,” an FO spokesman said after extending its offer.

Islamabad has also lamented the end of peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, brokered by Qatar and Turkey, after the two countries engaged in weeks-long border clashes last month.

Clashes in Pakistan-Afghanistan border

The clashes began when Taliban forces, backed by their affiliated militants, launched an unprovoked attack on border posts of Pakistani forces on October 12.

Pakistan’s retaliatory attacks resulted in the killing of more than 200 Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants, while the Pakistan Armed Forces also carried out “health strikes” inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul and Kandahar provinces.

However, around 23 Pakistani soldiers also accepted martyrdom while defending the homeland.

Pakistan has accused elements in the Afghan Taliban government of acting at the behest of New Delhi to destabilize the country.

In an interview last month, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that “India had launched a proxy war against Pakistan using Kabul” to compensate for its defeat during the May conflict.

The defense minister said the Taliban delegation – which is engaged in talks with Pakistan – was “powerless”, saying real power rested in Kabul, which had been infiltrated by India.

Pakistan-India conflict in May

A four-day war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors erupted in May when India launched a missile strike inside Pakistan, targeting civilian infrastructure.

The strikes, which New Delhi claimed were aimed at “terrorist targets” in response to the Pahalgam attack, resulted in the martyrdom of several civilians and security personnel.

Pakistan, in response, shot down several Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales.

The security forces also launched a large-scale retaliatory operation, dubbed “Operation Bunyan-i-Marsos”, which targeted more than 20 Indian military posts in several regions.

Apart from downing Indian fighter jets, Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder jets also destroyed India’s S-400 air defense system at Adampur with hypersonic missiles.

The clashes, in which the two countries had hit targets deeper into each other’s territories at any point in the past 50 years, ended on May 10 after a US-brokered ceasefire agreement was agreed.