Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif has called upon Pakistan to work in unison to eliminate sectarianism, terrorism and extremism from the region and the world.
Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Thursday in Islamabad, Zarif said, “It is a great pleasure and honour to be back in Pakistan within a time span of four to five months.”
“Today I was received by the prime minister of Pakistan and we discussed a number of bilateral and regional issues,” he said adding violence, insecurity and terrorism in the region, the Middle East and in general, needs to be dealt with.
Read: Iranian Foreign Minister due in Pakistan this week: official
“PM Nawaz and I discussed to increase cooperation between the two countries in sectors ranging from oil to gas, energy, transportation and others,” he added.
Read: After nuclear deal, Pakistan and Iran seek to increase trade
The Iranian foreign minister maintained that a delegation between the two countries will discuss how to bring into effect the agreements made between the leaders of Pakistan and Iran.
Zarif said the two countries actively need to work towards establishing peace in the hotspots of the region and play a responsible role.
The visit comes in the aftermath of the landmark nuclear agreement that Tehran signed with the world powers last month.
Read: Iran nuclear deal a potential game changer: Zardari
Pakistan is hopeful that the nuclear deal will now pave the way for the completion of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. The two countries are also looking towards each other to counter the threat being posed by the Islamic State group in this part of the world.
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