Lavrov hopes for de-escalation of situation between India and Pakistan

By  Trend

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed hope for the de-escalation of the situation in relations between India and Pakistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday after a meeting between the Russian top diplomat and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in China’s Wuzhen on the sidelines of the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"The Russian side expressed hope for the de-escalation of the situation between India and Pakistan," the ministry highlighted.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the sides also discussed the current issues on the bilateral agenda and the current international and regional problems with focus on cooperation in the RIC, SCO and BRICS and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the fight against international terrorism.

The reason for the tensions in relations between India and Pakistan was an attack over an Indian military car convoy on February 14 in the Jammu and Kashmir state. Forty people were killed in the attack. The group Jaish-e-Mohammed (The Army of Muhammad) claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Tuesday, India carried out an air strike on this group’s camp in the part of Kashmir that is controlled by Pakistan. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) responded with strikes on military facilities in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi and Islamabad also stated that they downed each other’s planes during the air fight.