G7 countries urge India, Pakistan to de-escalate situation

NEW DELHI:  The Group of Seven (G7) nations on Saturday urged India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and called for immediate de-escalation of their military conflict through dialogue.

The call by the powerful grouping came amid the continuing escalation of the military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The G7 said it is continuing to monitor the situation “closely and express our support for a swift and lasting diplomatic resolution”.

In a statement, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries said further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability.

“We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US and the High Representative of the European Union, strongly condemn the egregious terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and urge maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan,” the grouping said in a statement.

“Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides,” it said.

“We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,” the G7 said. PTI