Aamir Latif
03 June 2025•Update: 03 June 2025
KARACHI, Pakistan
Russia requested "direct" dialogue and "greater mutual trust" on Tuesday between India and Pakistan to ease tensions after last month's military standoff between the two nuclear neighbors, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The request was made by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting with Syed Tariq Fatemi, the special assistant to Pakistan's prime minister, in Moscow.
Lavrov reiterated Moscow's support for normalization between Pakistan and India, following the standoff, said Islamabad's Foreign Ministry.
Fatemi's trip is part of Islamabad's efforts to shore up diplomatic support on its latest hostilities with India.
New Delhi and Islamabad have sent respective delegations to world capitals to muster up diplomatic support amid heightened tensions between the two arch-rivals following the standoff.
Fatemi highlighted the "serious implications of India’s threat to disrupt the flow of the Indus Waters Treaty by declaring it in so-called 'abeyance.'"
In return, Lavrov emphasized Russia’s support for the normalization between the two neighbors, noting the positive effect on regional stability, said the statement.
The two sides highlighted the importance of building up joint efforts in the fight against all manifestations of terrorism at international venues, primarily the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations.
Lavrov also expressed satisfaction with the steady growth in bilateral cooperation, underscoring key collaborative projects such as the establishment of new steel mills in Pakistan's commercial capital of Karachi, and critical connectivity initiatives.
Fatemi hand-delivered a letter from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
India and Pakistan saw one of the worst hostilities early this month, sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, where unidentified gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, at the Pahalgam tourist site.
New Delhi said the attack had “cross-border links,” but Islamabad denied the claims and offered a neutral probe.
It led to an exchange of blame and denials, eventually escalating to retaliatory airstrikes and drone attacks. Tensions eased after US President Donald Trump announced a May 10 ceasefire, which remains in effect.
