Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Wednesday that he had briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on India's earlier decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status, noting that he had seen a "full understanding" by Russia on this matter
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2019) Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Wednesday that he had briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on India's earlier decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status, noting that he had seen a "full understanding" by Russia on this matter.
The Indian diplomat, who assumed the post in May after the nation's general elections, is currently on his first official visit to Russia in the capacity of the foreign minister.
"I took the opportunity of my visit also to brief the foreign minister about recent legislative changes which have happened in respect of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in India. And, I think, on this matter I definitely saw full understanding on the part of Russia that this was an internal matter and that our issues with Pakistan should be discussed bilaterally," Jaishankar told a press conference after talks with Lavrov in Moscow.
India and Pakistan have contended for the Kashmir region � the southern part of which lies in India's Jammu and Kashmir state � since the end of British rule in 1947. Despite a ceasefire reached in 2003 after several armed conflicts, instability in the region continued, leading to the emergence of various extremist groups.
Tensions increased earlier in August when the Indian government announced its decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status and split it into two union territories, prompting an outraged reaction from Islamabad with whom India has had strained relations over the Kashmir region for decades. Pakistan vowed to do what it takes to protect Kashmiris.
