India and Russia on Thursday rejected Pakistan’s claim that Vladimir Putin had offered to mediate the tensions between Delhi and Islamabad regarding Kashmir. “It seems wishful thinking on part of Pakistan,” PTI reported an unidentified official as saying.
On Thursday, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria was asked about the reported mediation offer made by the Russian president during his meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit earlier this month. Zakaria said, “Pakistan welcomes Russia’s attention and intention to play a role in this long-standing issue on the UNSC agenda.” He also said Pakistan had made “high-level contact” with Russia, Dawn reported.
However, hours later, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said there as no such offer made by Russia to India. “Russia is well aware of India’s consistent position to address all outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an environment free of terrorism and violence,” Baglay said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the differences between India and Pakistan should be resolved by them on a bilateral basis, ANI reported. A Russian diplomat told PTI that they did not have any information of any such offer made by Putin. “Russia is clear in its position that Indo-Pak issues need to be resolved, bilaterally, and we will never ever suggest anything contrary to that,” the news agency quoted the unidentified diplomat as saying.
On June 1, speaking to PTI, Putin had assured India that it did not have any “tight” military relationship with Pakistan and that the close friendship it shared with India cannot be diluted. “There is no other country in the world that we have such deep cooperation,” he had told the news agency.
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