UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (APP): The United Nations has confirmed that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a telephone call from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying they discussed “possible next steps” to build-on Saturday’s ceasefire between India and Pakistan that eased tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.
“The secretary-general welcomed the May 10 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan and commended both sides for taking steps to reduce tensions,” his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Aziz Haq, said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
The UN chief is currently in Berlin on an official visit to Germany.
“The secretary-general and the prime minister exchanged views on possible next steps”, Farhan Haq said, reiterating UN chief’s availability of his good-offices.
In his May 10 statement, Guterres welcomed the US-mediated ceasefire between India and Pakistan, with the hope that it would pave the way for resolving “broader, longstanding issues” between the two South Asian neighbours.
Among the longstanding issues between India and Pakistan is the Kashmir dispute which has been on the agenda of the UN Security Council since 1948.