Zarif, Lavrov, Wang Yi Urge Pakistan and India to Exercise Restraint Following Recent Tensions

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has called on both Pakistan and India to exercise restraint, following recent tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, according to Press TV.

Zarif told his Pakistani counterpart, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a phone conversation on Wednesday that Tehran was ready to work with Islamabad and New Delhi to help resolve their differences through dialogue.

The Iranian FM was scheduled to talk to Indian Foreign Minister Vijay Keshav Gokhale over the phone later.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated dramatically since February 14, when Indian paramilitary forces on the New Delhi-controlled side of Kashmir were hit by a deadly bomb attack orchestrated by Pakistan-based militants.

 The tensions reached a peak on Tuesday, when India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said his country had conducted “preemptive” airstrikes against a militant training camp in Balakot near Kashmir, shortly after the Pakistani military accused New Delhi of violating its territory in the Kashmir region.

According to an Indian government source, some 300 militants, were killed in the strikes.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan said it had shot down two Indian military jets and captured two of their pilots after the aircraft breached its airspace, Press TV said.

Iran, which has extensive diplomatic and trade ties with both countries, has advised them against escalating the situation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Tuesday that, as a victim of terror, Iran views bolstering full cooperation among nations without discrimination as the only way to tackle terrorism and extremism around the world.

Lavrov hopes for De-escalation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also expressed his hope for a de-escalation of the India-Pakistan situation.

The statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry was released on Wednesday after a meeting between the top Russian 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.

The two sides also discussed the current issues on the bilateral agenda and the current international and regional problems, as well as the fight against international terrorism, TASS reported.

Chinese FM Expresses Concern Over Indian-Pakistani Tensions

Meanwhile in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed his concern about increasing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad in a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the wake of the recent standoff between the two states, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qureshi called his Chinese counterpart late on Wednesday in order to brief him on the latest developments in the Pakistani-Indian row. Qureshi had expressed hope that China would continue playing a constructive role in de-escalating the existing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, the statement pointed out.

Wang Yi, in his turn, expressed hope that both sides would exercise restraint and would follow agreements to prevent the further escalation of the situation.

Moreover, Wang emphasized the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, noting that seeing violations of principles of international relations was undesirable for Beijing.

H.M