Pakistan offers China and Islamic states to become mediators in the Ukrainian crisis

Reuters: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday invited close ally China and Islamic countries to mediate in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and try to achieve a ceasefire.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is holding the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, which is attended by more than 600 delegates, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a special guest.

"May I suggest that the OIC, during the discussion with the foreign Ministers, think about how... how we can mediate, how we can achieve a ceasefire," Khan told the audience.

"I want to discuss how, maybe, the OIC, together with China, we can all intervene and try to stop this conflict, which, if it continues in the same spirit, will have great consequences for the rest of the world. ."

Khan's comments came hours after China and Pakistan repeated concerns about the "side effect of unilateral sanctions" on Russia, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

China has not condemned Russia's invasion, although it has expressed concern about the war. Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said on Saturday that Western sanctions against Russia are becoming "more and more outrageous."

Khan was in Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin on the day Russian troops entered Ukraine. Pakistan expressed concern about the consequences of the invasion, but did not condemn it.

On February 24, Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine as part of a so-called special operation to weaken the military potential of the neighboring country and eradicate people whom it called dangerous nationalists.

Pakistan abstained from voting at the UN General Assembly condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine.