China urges Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation to jointly safeguard the peace and stability in the region, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun on Tuesday.
Guo made the statement at a regular press briefing in Beijing in response to a media query regarding the clashes along the border between Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and Pakistan’s Balochistan province, after the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire in mid-October.
"China noted the reports. Pakistan and Afghanistan are both China's traditional friendly neighbors, and the two countries are and will always be neighbors of each other. China hopes that Pakistan and Afghanistan will continue resolving their disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, deescalate the situation, and keep the region peaceful and stable. China is ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role for the improvement and development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations," said Guo.
China calls on Pakistan, Afghanistan to resolve disputes through dialogue
China calls on Pakistan, Afghanistan to resolve disputes through dialogue
Two U.S. F-18 fighter jets entered Venezuelan airspace on Tuesday, circling for about 40 minutes.
The jets flew within 100 miles (about 161 km) of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest city which is home to Rafael Urdaneta Air Base, one of the main military air bases in western Venezuela, according to a report from the Miami Herald.
Data from Sweden's FlightRadar24 showed the jets flying over the northern tip of Lake Maracaibo, above the waters of the Gulf of Venezuela, and between the cities of La Guajira, in Zulia state, and Coro, the capital of Falcon state. Zulia state is a key oil and gas producing region in Venezuela, while Falcon state has some of the country’s biggest refineries.
FlightRadar24 data also showed a U.S. MQ-4C Triton drone flying close to Venezuela’s coast on Tuesday, although it did not appear to enter Venezuelan airspace.
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil warned on Tuesday that the U.S. actions pose an extremely serious challenge to regional security and peace.
The president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez Gomez, said that the U.S. military activities around the country were not intended to "combat drug trafficking", as the U.S, claims, but to attack and destroy Venezuela.
Iran warned that the recent situation poses a threat to peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by telephone on Tuesday and reiterated his country's "willingness to stand by Venezuela", the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry reported.
Pezeshkian also said that U.S. provocations of Venezuela "violate the principles of international law and constitute a dangerous precedent for the peoples of the world."
U.S. fighter jets enter Venezuelan airspace as tensions escalate
