Iranian FM meets with Pakistani counterpart

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who is visiting Tehran met on Tuesday noon with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amriabdolalhian at Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who is visiting Tehran met on Tuesday noon with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amriabdolalhian at Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

In the meeting, the two sides discussed aspects of bilateral ties including trade and economic relations, Pakistan’s import of electricity from Iran, border markets, road and railway link and facilitation of the affairs of pilgrims.

The two foreign ministers then attended a joint press conference. Amriabdolalhian said at the news briefing: We today held talks over border cooperation, expansion of local trade, provincial cooperation and political cooperation. We also held consultations over cultural cooperation, tourism, economic areas, the issue of gas exports from Iran to Pakistan and electricity swap with Pakistan.

Amriabdolalhian went on to say: In the meeting, we discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Yemen. We stress [the need for] friendly dialog and hope that the Ukraine crisis will end as soon as possible. We also underline the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
The Iranian foreign minister also said: We underscore the removal of the humanitarian siege of Yemen and seek dialog between Yemeni groups and, as for Palestine, we stress the formation of a single Islamic Palestinian state.

He added that one of our joint agendas is how Iran will respond to the IAEA resolution against Tehran. Iran has never shied away from the negotiating table and that the Islamic Republic will not stay away from the logic of diplomacy.

In the press conference, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also expressed pleasure at his trip to Iran and thanked the Iranian officials for their hospitality.
Zardari also underlined the importance of Pakistani officials’ determination to expand ties with Iran.

He said in the meeting, the two top diplomats discussed ways of boosting cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in the field of energy and also increasing electricity exports from Iran to Pakistan. Zardari said: Another issue over which the officials of the two countries held talks was the possibility of exchanging prisoners between Iran and Pakistan.

The Pakistani foreign minister said he and Amirabdollahian discussed the status quo in Afghanistan, adding: We are worried about stability and security in Afghanistan. Our interests hinge on the establishment of peace and security in Afghanistan.
We stress that at this critical juncture, we need to support Afghanistan and push for the release of its frozen assets and [demand that] the rulers of Afghanistan move toward an inclusive government and also take more steps regarding the fight against terrorism. Zardari thanked Iran for its explicit support for the cause of Jamu and Kashmir. He further said that in the meeting, the two sides underscored the importance of fighting Islamophobia, xenophobia and also violence.

Referring to the Iran nuclear deal and the Vienna talks, he said: We anxiously wait for the finalization of the nuclear negotiations. And this issue will create a more favorable condition for expansion of ties and interactions.

At the end of the press conference of the Iranian and Pakistani foreign ministers, Amirabdollahian gave Zardari an album of the photos of his mother, Binazir Bhutto, during her last visit to Iran and her pilgrimage to the holy city of Mashhad.