ISLAMABAD, May 4: The Senate foreign relations committees of Pakistan and Russia on Thursday agreed to oppose use of force against Iran on the nuclear crisis and warned against double standards in handling such issues.

The agreement reached during a two-hour meeting between a six-member Russian parliament’s foreign relations committee and Pakistan’s Senate foreign relations committee.

The two sides found several international and regional issues of convergence and decided to hold further negotiations to expand cooperation in these areas.

While discussing the Afghanistan issue, the two sides emphasised that all parties, including the Taliban groups, should find a lasting settlement through talks.

They agreed that there was no room for hegemony by any state against other countries and every state must adhere to the UN charter and international law while dealing with contentious issues.

Addressing a luncheon, foreign relations committee chairman Mushahid Hussain Syed said Russia was historically a big country and had a 20-million-strong Muslim population.

He welcomed the growing Russian ties with Pakistan and noted that a Russian firm was part of the consortium that recently won the ownership of Pakistan Steel Mills.

Leader of the Russian parliamentary delegation and chairman Russian Senate foreign affairs committee, Mr Constantine, said that both sides must leave their ‘complex past’ behind and go ahead to enter into joint ventures.

He said Pakistan was an important country in the region which was playing an important role in global affairs.

He hoped the visit of his delegation would help improve relations between the two countries.