China on Monday welcomed participation of Pakistan and India for the first time in the 2018 SCO Peace Mission anti-terrorism exercise held in Russia.
China said it hoped that both countries would enhance cooperation through dialogue for peace and stability in the region.
Pakistan and India are participating for the first time in the military drill since becoming the full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in last year.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in a press briefing said that both hold an important place in South Asia. Stability in India-Pakistan relations is of great significance to regional peace and even world peace and development, she said.
“We sincerely hope that India and Pakistan will enhance their relationships through bilateral dialogue and cooperation and within multilateral mechanisms such as the SCO, work together to improve relations and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability “she added.
About 3,000 soldiers from eight SCO member countries are participating in the drill, including 110 from Pakistan
The SCO Peaceful Mission 2018 will continue till August 29 in the Chebarkul town in Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia.