MOSCOW — The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia have called for sustaineddialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their ongoing disputesover cross-border terrorism and security tensions along their sharedfrontier.
The appeal came during a telephone conversation on Wednesday betweenRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart AbbasAraghchi, during which both sides discussed recent regional developmentsand bilateral cooperation.
According to a statement released on Telegram by the Russian ForeignMinistry, the two top diplomats “welcomed the agreement reached betweenKabul and Islamabad, mediated by the authorities of Qatar and Türkiye, on amutual ceasefire and an end to cross-border shootings along theAfghan-Pakistani frontier.”
Lavrov and Araghchi emphasized the importance of maintaining open channelsof communication and urged both countries to “resolve differences bypolitical and diplomatic means, in the interests of ensuring regionalstability and security.”
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Their remarks follow the breakdown of the third round ofPakistan-Afghanistan talks held in Istanbul last week, which ended withoutagreement as negotiators failed to overcome deep divisions over how toprevent cross-border terrorism. The talks had been prompted by deadlyclashes along the frontier in October that heightened tensions between thetwo neighbors.
Regional observers view the renewed ceasefire and calls for dialogue as acautious step toward easing hostilities, though significant challengesremain in addressing the underlying mistrust and security concerns on bothsides.