Moscow: Strongly backing Indian stand on Kashmir, Russia on September 17 said the 1972 Simla Accord and 1999 Lahore declaration provided the framework for settling all outstanding issues between New Delhi and Islamabad.

"Russia backs India's territorial integrity including Jammu and Kashmir and believes that the Simla Accord and Lahore declaration provide the framework of resolving this and other issues," Speaker of the Russian State Duma (Lower House of Parliament) Gennady Seleznyov said on September 17.

Welcoming Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi as a leader of the world's largest democracy, Seleznyov also thanked India for its continued support to Russia on Chechnya.

"Chechnya and Jammu and Kashmir are the manifestation of the activities of international terrorism," Joshi said calling for a concerted international cooperation to combat trans-national terrorism.

Joshi arrived on a six-day visit to Russia heading a seven-member Parliamentary delegation for the second session of the Indo-Russian Inter-Parliamentary Commission in the run-up to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Moscow visit in November.

Inaugurating the session of the Commission Seleznyov noted that Russia has such commissions only with three countries and India is one of them.

PTI