Islamabad, Nov 22 (IANS): As US President Barack Obama confirmed his India visit for the Republic Day next year, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif urged him to take up the Kashmir issue with India.

Obama spoke to Nawaz Sharif over telephone Friday.

Sharif said an early resolution of the Kashmir issue would bring enduring peace, stability and economic cooperation to the south Asian region, Dawn online reported.

Sharif apprised Obama of Pakistan's relations with India and referred to his visit to India earlier this year, which was aimed at taking Pakistan-India relations forward.

However, the Pakistani side claimed that the cancellation of foreign secretary level talks by India and the "unprovoked firing" across the Line of Control (LoC) "indicated that India was averse to normalisation of relations with Pakistan."

"Thus, while we remain open to the resumption of bilateral dialogue, the onus is on India to create a conducive environment in this regard," an official statement said.

The statement also claimed that President Obama understood Pakistan's position.

The two leaders also discussed the state of the ties between the US and Pakistan.