ISLAMABAD: Russia has urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their differences through political and diplomatic means and offered to assist both sides in lowering tensions, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, citing a Russian broadcaster.
Pakistan and Afghanistan engaged in fierce clashes along their shared border on Oct. 11 after Pakistan conducted airstrikes inside Afghanistan against what it said were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan-linked targets.
While the two sides reached a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, tensions remain high between the neighbors after two subsequent rounds of talks to firm up the truce failed in Istanbul.
Islamabad wants the Afghan government to take "verifiable" actions against militant groups operating on Afghan soil. Kabul denies harboring TTP or other groups and wants its territorial sovereignty to be respected.
“We call on Kabul and Islamabad to resolve any disagreements exclusively through political and diplomatic means and by peaceful methods,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by TASS news agency at a press briefing this week.
