Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday concluded his three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and left for Iran, to discuss the regional situation with the Iranian leadership. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived here in Iran’s capital on a three-day official visit on Tuesday at the invitation of Foreign Minister Dr. Javad Zarif. Director General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Syed Rasool Moosavi, Pakistan’s ambassador in Tehran Raheem Hayat Qureshi and senior officials received the foreign minister.
During the visit, the Foreign Minister will hold delegation-level talks with Foreign Minister Zarif. He will call on President Dr. Hassan Rouhani and Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
The Foreign Minister will also visit the city of Mashhad. During the delegation-level talks, the two Foreign Ministers will review bilateral relations with a view to further deepening cooperation in diverse fields.
The two sides will discuss regional security situation including the latest developments in the Afghan Peace Process and the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.
They will also deliberate on strengthening regional cooperation under the umbrella of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
In a video statement prior his departure from Untied Arab Emirates to Iran on Tuesday, the foreign minister said important regional matters would come under discussion during the visit to Tehran. Qureshi mentioned that Iran being a neighbour of Afghanistan was an important country for Pakistan in view of pursuing the efforts towards peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He thanked the Supreme Leadership of Iran for supporting Pakistan on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and for taking a clear stance in this regard. He termed Iran not only Pakistan’s neighbour, but a “tested friend” and expressed desire to strengthen ties in all areas.
Qureshi said the meetings with Iranian leadership would also focus on strengthening bilateral relationship.
The foreign minister mentioned that Iran had appreciated Pakistan’s proposal for establishing border markets and added that the matter would also be discussed.
Moreover, the foreign minister was seen off by senior foreign ministry officials of the UAE, and ambassador and senior embassy officials of Pakistan in the gulf country.
In his message shedding light on Iran’s visit, Shah Mahmood Qureshi lauded his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif and said that he had visited Pakistan on multiple occasions to discuss key issues between the two countries.
“We will be discussing the regional situation with the Iranian leadership,” he said while sharing that new developments have been made in the Afghan peace process, which is important to both Pakistan and Iran.
The visit will help in understanding the Iranian position on the peace process and devising a joint strategy in this regard, he said.
The foreign minister lauded the supreme leadership of Iran for their clear stance and support towards the Kashmir issue and said that the neighbouring brotherly country had always supported Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue.
He further said that discussion would also be made on improving bilateral ties between the two countries. “Pakistan has suggested the establishment of border markets which also got a welcome response from the Iranian side,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi said adding that both countries have supported each other in testing times and would further try to strengthen relations between the two countries.
