PM Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s enduring ties with Iran, calling the neighboring country a brotherly state and pledging continued efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation and regional peace
By Pervaiz Mughal
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with a six-member delegation from Iran led by Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Syed Mohammad Atabak on Wednesday, with both sides agreeing to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister said Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Iran, describing the neighboring country as a brotherly state. He said Pakistan would continue its sincere efforts for peace and stability in the region.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had recently held a productive discussion with Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian regarding regional peace and further strengthening bilateral ties, particularly in the field of trade.
He expressed hope that the bilateral trade target of $10 billion set by the leadership of both countries would be achieved through sustained efforts. He said both countries would benefit from greater trade cooperation, especially in food, agricultural commodities and related products.
The meeting agreed on promoting border trade between Pakistan and Iran, improving facilities to keep the border open round the clock, enhancing logistics and customs procedures through greater coordination and increasing cooperation in the mining sector, particularly in the processing and value addition of precious stones.
The Prime Minister also conveyed his message of goodwill to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei and President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iranian Minister Syed Mohammad Atabak thanked Pakistan for the warm welcome and hospitality. He appreciated Pakistan’s leadership and people for their diplomatic efforts aimed at regional peace and for expressing solidarity with Iran.
He said Iran wanted to further expand economic and trade relations with Pakistan, adding that technical-level negotiations were ongoing regarding a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.
Federal Ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan, Ali Pervaiz Malik and Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiani, Special Assistants Syed Tariq Fatemi, Haroon Akhtar and Talha Barky, along with senior officials of relevant institutions, attended the meeting.
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