Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian landed in Lahore on Saturday, eyeing to reaffirm his commitment to elevate the annual bilateral trade with Pakistan.
Pakistan has recently expressed solidarity and a desire for cooperation with Iran, which experts say is vital to securing shared interests in a shifting geopolitical environment.
Pezeshkian is paying a two-day official visit to Pakistan over the weekend, making it his first trip to Islamabad in his current role, the Foreign Office said. Ahead of his trip, Pakistan yesterday pledged to help defuse tensions between Iran and the United States.
Ex-premier and MNA Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, received the distinguished guest upon his arrival in Lahore.
According to PTV News, the Iranian president will pay a visit to Mazar-i-Iqbal and then head to Islamabad, where he will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
PM Shehbaz had met with Pezeshkian during his visit to Iran in late May, which was part of his regional tour to friendly countries aimed at expressing gratitude for their support during the conflict with India.
Pezeshkian is the second Iranian president to visit Pakistan in as many years. Late Ebrahim Raisi had visited the country in April last year, just a month before he died in a helicopter crash.
According to Iran’s state media IRNA, before departing for Pakistan, Pezeshkian emphasised the plan to elevate their annual trade exchanges to $10 billion. The two countries had agreed in April last year to boost trade over the next five years.
The president termed the trade relations between Tehran and Islamabad as “good” and identified boosting trade with Pakistan via land, air and sea as priorities for this trip, the report added.
“Through Pakistan, Iran can connect to the Silk Road linking China and Pakistan, and the route can then extend through Iran to Europe,” he said.
Emphasising that security and border issues were of great importance to both Iran and Pakistan, he stressed that regional security must be achieved through cooperation, according to IRNA.
Pezeshkian noted that the two neighbours have “enjoyed good, friendly, and deep-rooted relations” since Pakistan’s independence. “The two countries cooperate in economic, scientific, cultural, and border areas, and a deep bond exists between the people of both sides,” he was quoted as saying.
Pezeshkian highlighted that during the recent Israel-Iran war and the United States’ strikes against its nuclear facilities, “Pakistan was among the countries that strongly condemned this aggression and declared its readiness to provide any necessary support for Iran’s territorial integrity, as well as for the government and people of Iran”.
According to IRNA, the president also noted that “the enemy plans to create division among Muslims, but Iran will thwart the enemies’ plots”, adding that Tehran aims to maintain unity and solidarity between Iran and Pakistan.
Pezeshkian had left for Pakistan earlier today. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, senior ministers and other high-ranking officials.
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