Russia concerned over rising tensions in Mideast, Asia Pacific

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Mounting tensions in the Middle East and Asia Pacific raise Russia's apprehensions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Commenting on the recent escalation between Iran and Pakistan, who conducted strikes against suspected militants in each other's territory, Peskov said it was "a derivative of the terrible crisis around Gaza."

"From the very beginning, we have expressed concern that this conflict may have a tendency to expand. Unfortunately, we are seeing some signs of this now," he told a news briefing in Moscow.

The spokesperson urged all states in the region and neighboring states to practice restraint and embrace diplomacy as the sole path capable of guiding them towards resolution.

Moscow is in constant contact with Iran and Pakistan via diplomatic channels in an attempt to ease tensions, he said.

Islamabad said Thursday it launched precision strikes against separatist terrorists in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, two days after Tehran struck what it described as bases for the Jaish al-Adl militant group in the border town of Panjgur in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Asked about international contacts of President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said the dates of his visits to Türkiye and North Korea are being coordinated through diplomatic channels.

Putin will also take part in a stone-laying ceremony the first Egyptian nuclear power station in the town of El Dabaa, which will be constructed by Russian Nuclear State Corporation Rosatom, he added.

Tensions in the Middle East are already high with several overlapping crises, including Israel’s war on Gaza and its exchange of fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and attacks by Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians.