G7 nations urge India and Pakistan to have direct dialogue
India blames Pakistan for a rebel attack that killed 26 people in Kashmir last month. (EPA Images pic)
WASHINGTON : The Group of Seven (G7) major countries urged maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan yesterday and called on them to engage in direct dialogue amid rising hostilities between the two nuclear-armed Asian neighbours.
World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry.
India hit Pakistan with air strikes and missiles on Wednesday and since then, both countries have been clashing daily.
Dozens have been killed.
Among the G7 powers, the US has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan in recent days and urged them to de-escalate, but vice-president JD Vance said on Thursday a war between the two countries would be 'none of our business'.
In recent years, India has been seen as an important partner by western powers as a counter-balance to China's rising influence.
Pakistan is a US ally, although its importance has diminished since Washington's 2021 withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan.
In a statement released by Canada, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US, Britain and the European Union said they 'strongly condemn' an April 22 Islamist rebel attack in which 26 people were killed in India-administered Kashmir.
India blamed Pakistan, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.
'We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,' the G7 statement said.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled only in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan.
It has been the site of wars, insurgency and diplomatic stand-offs over the decades.
Pakistan said this week that New Delhi and Islamabad have had contacts at the level of their respective national security councils.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
India hails ‘milestone' trade deal in talks with visiting British FM
British foreign minister David Lammy is on a two-day visit to India. (EPA Images pic) NEW DELHI : Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said today a trade deal with Britain was 'truly a milestone' that will boost bilateral ties as he welcomed his counterpart David Lammy to New Delhi. India and Britain struck a long-delayed free trade agreement last month after negotiations were re-launched in February. Britain has sought to bolster trade ties across the world since it left the European Union under Brexit, a need that became more pressing after the US unleashed a global tariff blitz that risks causing weaker economic growth. 'The recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA… is truly a milestone which will not only propel our two-way trade and investment but will also have a positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties,' Jaishankar said after meeting Lammy, who is on a two-day visit. 'It would also contribute to the strengthening of supply and value chains,' he said. The accord will slash tariffs on imports of UK goods into India, including whisky, cosmetics and medical devices. In exchange, Britain will cut tariffs on imports of clothes, footwear and food products, including frozen prawns, from India. Britain and India are the sixth and fifth-largest global economies respectively, with a trade relationship worth around £41 billion and investment supporting more than 600,000 jobs across both countries. They hope the free-trade agreement will increase trade between them by about £25.5 billion, as well as boost the British economy and wages. Talks were re-launched in February after stalling under Britain's previous Conservative administrations. Lammy said before his visit the deal with India was 'just the start of our ambitions'.
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Japan trade negotiator Akazawa says he made progress in US tariff talks
The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between Japanese and US officials before the upcoming Group of Seven leaders summit. - Photo: Reuters TOKYO: Japan had made some progress in a fifth round of trade talks with US officials aimed at ending tariffs that are hurting Japan's economy, Tokyo's chief tariff negotiator said. "Tariffs have already been imposed on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum, and some of them have doubled to 50% along with 10% general tariff. These are causing daily losses to Japan's economy," Ryosei Akazawa, said in Washington on Friday (June 6) after talks with officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Akazawa declined to say what progress they had made. The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between senior Japanese and US officials before the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit that starts on June 15, where US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Japan also faces a 24% tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with Washington. "We want an agreement as soon as possible. The G7 summit is on our radar, and if our leaders meet, we want to show what progress has been made," Akazawa said. "Still we must balance urgency with a need to guard our national interests," he added. Last month Japan's trade negotiator said US defence equipment purchases, shipbuilding technology collaboration, a revision of automobile import standards and an increase in agricultural imports could be bargaining chips in tariff talks. In a bid to reach an agreement with the United States, Japan is also proposing a mechanism to reduce the auto tariff rate based on how much countries contribute to the US auto industry, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday. Akazawa said Japan's position has not changed and that the tariffs are not acceptable. - Reuters
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Japan says progress made but no deal yet in tariff talks with US
TOKYO, June 7 — Japan said today it was making 'progress' in talks aimed at easing US President Donald Trump's tariffs but cautioned that the two sides have not found 'a point of agreement yet'. Japan, a key US ally and its biggest investor, is subject to the same 10 percent baseline tariffs imposed on most nations plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminium. Trump also announced an additional 24 percent 'reciprocal' tariff on Japan in early April, but later paused it along with similar measures on other countries until early July. Japan wants all levies announced by Trump lifted. During a fifth round of talks, 'we further made progress towards an agreement', Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo's trade envoy, told Japanese reporters in Washington. But, he added: 'We've not been able to find a point of agreement yet'. Akazawa said Tokyo was hoping to seal a deal 'as soon as possible', however, talks may still be ongoing when a summit of the Group of Seven wealthy nations starts on June 15. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump are reportedly planning to hold bilateral talks around the time of the G7 summit in Canada. Washington's 25-percent auto tariffs are particularly painful for Tokyo, with roughly eight percent of all Japanese jobs tied to the sector. Japan's economy, the world's fourth largest, contracted 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2025, adding to pressure on the unpopular Ishiba ahead of upper house elections expected in July. — AFP
