Iranian President Concludes Two-day Visit to Pakistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani returned to the country Saturday, concluding his landmark visit to neighboring Pakistan, which was his first since becoming president.
President Rouhani arrived at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport late on Saturday after his two-day trip to Islamabad and meetings with the neighboring country’s senior officials.
During a Saturday meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain before his departure, Rouhani voiced Tehran’s readiness to boost relations with Islamabad in all areas of mutual interest.
He further pointed to the new atmosphere created after the recent implementation of the July 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and the removal of anti-Iran sanctions, saying that in the new era there are numerous opportunities for Iran and Pakistan to promote cooperation in diverse areas of economy, including energy, petrochemicals and banking affairs.
“Strengthening border areas and markets, taking steps toward free trade and creating joint accounts can further boost trade cooperation between the two countries,” Rouhani said at the meeting.
The Pakistani president, for his part, pointed to the spread of terrorism across the region and said Tehran and Islamabad should boost cooperation to counter terrorism and extremism.
Hussain said Islamabad is keen on strengthening relations with Tehran, particularly in economic fields, adding that further efforts should be made to increase bilateral trade exchanges.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, including 60 Iranian businessmen, Rouhani arrived in Islamabad on Friday at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain and Nawaz Sharif.
The visit came against the backdrop of a new wave of interest in ties with Iran after Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Tehran's nuclear program and started implementing it on January 16.
The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.
