Russia continues to promote normalisation of Indo-Pak ties

United Nations, Aug 17: Russian continues to promote normalisation of India-Pakistan ties, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, tweeted.

"We hope that existing divergences around #Kasmir (Kashmir) will be settled bilaterally by political and diplomatic means only on the basis of Simla Agreement of 1972 and Lahore declaration of 1999, in accordance with UN Charter, relevant UN resolutions and bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan," Polyanskiy also said.

During the closed door consultation of the United Nations Security Council, Russia expressed hope that India and Pakistan would settle the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the charter and the relevant resolutions of the international organisation and bilateral agreements.

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Delhi has always maintained that the Shimla Agreement of 1972 signed by Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had left no scope for the UN or any third party to get involved in the process to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries. This principle was re-affirmed by the Lahore Declaration which was issued by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif in 1999.

India has always invoked the Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration to resist any attempt by Pakistan to internationalise the Kashmir dispute and also raise it at the UN.