Russian envoy says Moscow working to ease Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions

Russia's ambassador to Pakistan, Albert Khorev, has said Moscow is working to help resolve the current tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan and hopes the closed border crossings between the two countries will reopen soon.

According to reports, Khorev made the remarks at a roundtable at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. He said the Afghanistan issue was raised during the recent visit of Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to Islamabad, where Russia reaffirmed its readiness to help ease the tensions.

He said the matter had been discussed by Kolokoltsev in Islamabad, by Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, in Kabul, and by Alexander Venediktov, deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, in New Delhi.

The Russian envoy expressed concern over civilian casualties caused by Pakistani attacks and over the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the closure of the crossings had hurt Pakistan's trade with Russia and Central Asia and, together with US sanctions, had become an obstacle to expanding trade. Khorev added that resolving the tensions would benefit the whole region.

Kolokoltsev met Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Rawalpindi on 14 October, while Naryshkin visited Kabul at around the same time. Earlier this month, Russia's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said Moscow was ready to mediate between Kabul and Islamabad if both sides asked it to.

Pakistan says it is not opposed to talks with Kabul but insists they must lead to verifiable action against armed groups. Border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been closed for months amid repeated clashes, disrupting trade and the movement of people.