Washington DC, August 20: United States President Donald Trump has held a telephonic conversation on Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed a range of regional developments while stressing for de-escalation of tensions in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a tweet, Trump said, “Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding Trade, Strategic Partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir. A tough situation, but good conversations!”
Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding Trade, Strategic Partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir. A tough situation, but good conversations!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2019
The development comes at times of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the scrapping of Article 370 from the Indian constitution that gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
In an official statement, the White House said the two leaders held discussions related to regional developments involving New Delhi and Washington DC and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral, diplomatic and economic relations, according to ANI news reports.
The statement read: “The President conveyed the importance of reducing tensions between India and Pakistan and maintaining peace in the region.”
Notably, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the US president had held telephonic talks last week during which Trump told Khan to resolve the Kashmir issue with its neighbour nation bilaterally.