Iranian FM to visit Pakistan, India amid tensions

TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit Pakistan and India next week to discuss bilateral relations, regional developments and international issues, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesman speaking to Press TV.

The Tehran Times reported, Araghchi’s trip begins in Pakistan on Monday, where he will meet with high-ranking officials to address ways to enhance cooperation between the two nations. The visit takes place against a backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, stemming from a recent terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the April 22 attack, which resulted in 26 fatalities, a claim Pakistan denies.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has already engaged with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif via telephone, expressing condolences for the terrorist attack and emphasizing the importance of a united front against terrorism. In his call with Modi, Pezeshkian condemned the attack and offered support in combating terrorism. He expressed concern over escalating tensions in his call with Sharif, underlining Iran’s desire for regional stability. Further emphasizing Iran’s role as a potential mediator, Foreign Minister Araghchi spoke with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, expressing Tehran’s willingness to facilitate discussions between India and Pakistan to de-escalate the situation. Araghchi will continue his trip later in the week with an official visit to India, where he will further promote dialogue and explore avenues for cooperation in the region. Meanwhile, as tensions mount between India and Pakistan following the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged both countries to resolve their differences through political and diplomatic means, within the framework of the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. In a phone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday, Lavrov discussed the “aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations” in the aftermath of the attack, according to a statement issued by the Russian embassy. “They discussed topical issues of Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as the aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations following the terrorist attack near Pahalgam,” the embassy said. Lavrov emphasised the need for bilateral engagement, stating that disagreements should be settled “in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999,” both of which underline peaceful dialogue as the preferred path to conflict resolution between the two South Asian neighbours.