NEW DELHI: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged India and Pakistan to settle their differences through political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis, in line with the provisions of the 1972 Simla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration. The comments were made during a telephone conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, according to an official readout from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“Sergey Lavrov called for the settlement of disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999,” the readout said.

The two ministers discussed key issues concerning Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as the recent escalation in India-Pakistan tensions following the terrorist attack near Pahalgam during the call on May 2, the Russian readout said.